Renato Moicano vows to carry on after Tom Nolan defeat at UFC Vegas 123
Moicano, 37, has two fights left on his UFC contract and said Nolan bore no responsibility for the referee's reset that came before the knee that rocked him.
Renato Moicano has ruled out letting his main-event stoppage by Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 123 end his career, saying in a video on his YouTube channel hours after the fight that there will be other bouts.
Moicano said: “I’m not going to stop, I’m not going to get discouraged, and I’m not going to let anyone bring my head down.” The 37-year-old has two fights left on his UFC deal and said before facing Nolan that he hoped to fight out of his contract and test free agency.
The defeat at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday 31 October followed a highly controversial call by referee Dan Miragliotta. Moicano had Nolan's back in round two when Miragliotta called for a reset and stood the pair up. Nolan rocked Moicano with a knee moments later, and the TKO stoppage came in the following round.
Moicano dismissed the idea of getting angry at the world or cursing out the referee, and he absolved his opponent of any part in the decision. He said: “First of all, I want to congratulate Tom Nolan and say that he is not responsible for the reset in any way.” He called the 12-1 Australian lightweight an excellent guy and accepted that Nolan had been far superior on the feet, but he did not revise his view of him as a top-level fighter. Moicano said: “I lost to a guy who’s bad.” He pointed to weaknesses in Nolan's wrestling and said he had been convinced he would take him down and submit him in the first round.
Moicano said he now needs to improve in every area, including his striking and his jiu-jitsu, adding that he had never seen anyone defend the way Nolan did once he had taken him down and got his back. He also said the loss does not define him, pointing to his family, with two more children on the way that will take him to four, as well as his home, his gym and his friends.
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