'Big' John McCarthy Criticizes Dan Miragliotta's Stand-Up at UFC Vegas 123
Veteran referee 'Big' John McCarthy criticized Dan Miragliotta for standing up Renato Moicano from back control during his main event bout against Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 123.
· VILLAND PICK editorial
Veteran mixed martial arts referee 'Big' John McCarthy has voiced strong criticism of Dan Miragliotta following a controversial officiating decision during the main event of UFC Vegas 123 on Saturday night. The bout between Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan took a dramatic turn after Miragliotta chose to separate the fighters while Moicano held back control.
Moicano had previously controlled the opening frame using a body triangle and established the exact same dominant position in the second round. However, Miragliotta intervened and stood both fighters up. Following the restart, Nolan swiftly capitalized on the shift in momentum, hurting Moicano before eventually securing a third-round TKO victory.
Speaking on the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy explained why separating fighters from back control goes against the fundamental principles of the sport. McCarthy noted that while referees often instruct fighters to improve position when stalled in spots like half guard, back control is the absolute peak position where the attacking fighter cannot realistically be expected to transition to anything better without surrendering offensive advantages and defensive safety.
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