Lightweight up-and-comer Tom Nolan continued his rise in the division with a TKO win over veteran Renato Moicano in Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event.
Nolan stopped Moicano at the 1:28 mark of the third round at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Nolan reversed a takedown, got on top of Moicano, and unloaded with ground-and-pound - including elbows - to force referee Dan Miragliotta to call off the fight.
The 26-year-old Australian is now tied with Arman Tsarukyan and Quillan Salkilld for the longest active winning streak in the UFC lightweight division (six).
However, Nolan's impressive performance may be somewhat overshadowed by a refereeing decision in the second round. Although Moicano had Nolan in a body lock and was in full control on the ground, Miragliotta decided to stand them up. Almost immediately, Nolan hurt Moicano with a knee and nearly finished him with strikes before the end of the round.
Several people in the MMA world sounded off on Miragliotta's decision via social media:
Dan Miragliotta just totally hosed Renato Moicano because he chose to get a pop from the crowd. That’s friggin insanity!
— Mike Heck (@MikeHeck_JR) November 1, 2026
Dan Miragliotta going to take a lot of heat after the #UFCVegas123 main event. Renato Moicano was in complete control until a standup from back control. Tom Nolan took advantage, and credit to him, but he got a massive assist.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) November 1, 2026
Moicano dominated the first round - and some of the second round - with his grappling before Miragliotta's stand-up.
Nolan and Moicano entered Saturday's main event as the No. 14- and No. 12-ranked lightweights, respectively.
With the victory, Nolan is 6-1 in the UFC and 12-1 as a professional.
Moicano was coming off a submission win over Chris Duncan earlier in 2026 and is now 1-3 in his last four Octagon appearances.
The 37-year-old Brazilian suffered his first stoppage loss since challenging Islam Makhachev for the title on short notice at UFC 311 in January 2025 and his first knockout loss since facing Rafael Fiziev in December 2020.
