Dana White Defends Dan Miragliotta Over Stand-Up in Moicano vs. Nolan Bout

UFC CEO Dana White has addressed veteran referee Dan Miragliotta’s controversial stand-up in the bout between Renato “Money” Moicano and Tom Nolan at UFC Vegas 123 on Oct. 31.

Moicano suffered a third-round stoppage loss to Nolan, but the contest was marred by controversy in the second round. Miragliotta intervened and stood both fighters up for inactivity while Moicano had Nolan’s back. While it is rare for an official to break action when a fighter secures the back, White defended the decision.

According to White, damage—not merely holding a dominant position—is the key factor under the ruleset. White pointed out that some grapplers are skilled enough to ride an opponent's back for entire rounds, noting that referees are right to step in if the controlling fighter is not actively working to end the contest.

“I don’t think it’s about dominant position,” White said during a media scrum captured by TheMacLife and reported by Sherdog. “It’s about, are you doing damage or not, trying to win the fight? Some of these guys are so good, they can f*cking take your back and ride it out for three rounds. The rules are, if you're not doing damage or trying to advance your position, or trying to win the fight, you get stood up.”