Nolan Says He Never Asked the Referee for a Standup

The referee's standup call set up Tom Nolan's TKO at UFC Vegas 123, so some questioned whether Nolan motioned for it. He now says he never asked the referee to put the fight back on the feet.

Nolan's version of the exchange

Nolan spoke to reporters at the post-fight press conference. "I wasn't looking for a standup," he said.

By his account, he was talking to the referee about illegal blows. Moicano, he says, was framing his head forward and throwing left hands that hit the back of it. Nolan says he reminded Dan Miragliotta that such strikes are against the rules and asked him to act instead of watching.

Nolan described that area as a dangerous place to be hit.

He said he had no issue with punches to the front. With five rounds scheduled, he added, he would have been fully at ease with losing that round while Moicano rode his back. In his words, the referee's decision to stand the fight up was not his doing.

Why the question came up at all

Moicano had Nolan's back and was working for a rear-naked choke, a hold that can finish a fight if it is locked in properly. Miragliotta chose to bring both fighters to their feet at that moment. Fans and fighters have widely panned the call.

Some then wondered whether Nolan had signaled to the referee during the sequence. That is the point he addressed.

What came after

Nolan used the restart quickly. He finished Moicano and picked up a "Performance of the Night" bonus.

Moicano has not turned on the referee. He blames himself more than Miragliotta for not getting the win while he held the back. The loss leaves him 1-3 in his last four fights. Nolan, who is 26, is on a six-fight winning streak.

Our view

The argument turns on two things that only video can settle: the exact words Nolan used, and how many of Moicano's left hands landed on the back of his head. Nolan has given his side in public. Miragliotta's own reasoning for the standup is missing from this account.

Source: BJPenn.com