Renato Moicano will be a catalyst for a whole lot of MMA discourse over the coming days after his hopes for victory took a devastating hit Saturday at UFC Fight Night 292.
Moicano (21-8-1 MMA, 13-8 UFC) was controlling the first two rounds of action against Tom Nolan (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in their lightweight headliner at Meta APEX in Las Vegas, only for referee Dan Miragliotta to stand him up out of back control with a body triangle locked in.
Nolan capitalized on the twist of fate and stung Moicano late in the second round, only to finish it a few minutes into the third round. That's when the outrage at the timing of Miragliotta's stand up went into overdrive.
There's absolutely no denying it changed the momentum of the fight. Assuming Moicano
wouldn't have found a submission and just rode out the round, he would've entered the next frame without all that damage sustained. Maybe Nolan still catches him, but no one can say for sure, just like it can't be said for sure that Moicano would've kept winning those positions, or the fight. Nevertheless, the man tied for the third-most rear-naked choke submissions in UFC history should've been allowed to continue to work.
But it's a serious topic of discussion, and it totally overshadows the result on both sides. Moicano has every right to be outraged, but thus far he's only displayed class and put blame upon himself for a "terrible" performance.
His perspective may change over time as more people get into his ear about it being an injustice, but the damage is already done. He won't be paid the same for a loss, and he loses his higher ranking to Nolan.
Moicano said prior to UFC Fight Night 292 that he has two fights remaining on his contract after this one and he intends to complete that and test free agency. If he stands by that after the dust settles from this, then it's unlikely the UFC will see it in its best interest to give Moicano an advantageous fight. The matchup with Nolan is likely a sign of what's to come for the 37-year-old.
Names like Esteban Ribovics and Tofiq Musayev are probable to come across his desk, and that puts him in a tough spot to try to end his UFC run on a high.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Renato Moicano after UFC Vegas 123 loss?
