Tom Nolan Stops Renato Carneiro in UFC Vegas 123 Main Event
Tom Nolan secured a third-round TKO victory over veteran Renato Carneiro in the main event of UFC Vegas 123. Undefeated prospect Jacobe Smith also earned a dominant unanimous decision win in the co-main event.
· VILLAND PICK editorial
Tom Nolan scored the biggest win of his MMA career on Saturday, stopping veteran lightweight Renato Carneiro via third-round TKO in the main event of UFC Vegas 123 inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Nolan improved his record to 12-1 after finishing the bout with strikes at the 1:28 mark of Round 3.
The victory followed a dramatic shift in momentum. According to Sherdog, Carneiro (21-8-1) controlled much of the first two rounds with takedowns and sustained rear-naked choke threats. However, late in the second frame, referee Dan Miragliotta stood the fighters up from Carneiro's dominant back-control position. Nolan quickly capitalized, rocking the Brazilian with a knee to the face before closing out the fight in the third round with a flurry of punches that led to a knockdown and the stoppage.
In the welterweight co-main event, Jacobe Smith stepped up on short notice to defeat Randy Brown (20-9) by unanimous decision. Smith remained unbeaten at 14-0 by using multiple takedowns and ground strikes to sweep the scorecards (30-26, 30-26, 30-26).
Earlier on the card, flyweight Cody Durden (19-11-1) earned a 29-28 unanimous decision victory over Ode Osbourne (13-10) behind early grappling control. In women's bantamweight action, Luana Santos (12-2) utilized her takedowns and ground control to secure a unanimous decision win over Yana Santos (17-9, 1 NC).
Sources
This article was written by VILLAND PICK based on the reports listed above. Original articles are not reproduced.