Tom Nolan deserves no blame for getting his hand raised against Renato Moicano at UFC Fight Night 292, regardless of the controversy.
After being controlled on the mat for the majority of two rounds Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nolan (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) was the benefactor of referee Dan Miragliotta implementing a highly polarizing stand-up with Renato Moicano (21-8-1 MMA, 13-8 UFC) on his back with a body lock in.
Moments after the lightweight headliner was brought to its feet, Nolan cracked Moicano and shifted all the momentum to his side. The Brazilian barely survived the second round, then Nolan hurt him again and poured it on in the third frame, forcing the TKO stoppage.
Although his win has been overshadowed, Nolan shouldn't get
heat for it. He was defending well until Miragliotta stood it up, and he showed the desperation of someone who was about to be down two rounds and put it on his opponent. Full credit to the Aussie for that.
The dust will settle from this and everyone will move on, and Nolan will be standing tall with the backing of what's now a six-fight winning streak at 155 pounds. The 26-year-old is becoming a player in one of the best divisions in the sport, and he made it clear he wants another strong test next.
Nolan mentioned Mateusz Gamrot's name after his win, and that's a perfect next step. The Polish contender is always willing to take any fight given to him, and there's no doubt he would accept Nolan if offered.
Given what Moicano was able to do in his moments of success, Gamrot (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) has to feel good about his chances to repeat that. And with a different referee, too.
Nevertheless, Nolan is now part of the next wave of names at lightweight and his potential can't be ignored.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Shelby's Shoes: What's next for Tom Nolan after UFC Vegas 123 win?
