The UFC was in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday for UFC Vegas 123. In the main event, lightweight contenders threw down as Tom Nolan took on Renato Moicano.
Nolan entered the fight with a record of 11-1 and was 5-1 in the UFC, and was on a five-fight winning streak. Moicano, meanwhile, was coming off a submission win over Chris Duncan to return to the win column after back-to-back losses.
Ultimately, it was Nolan who scored a third-round TKO win. Moicano did control him early, but he did start to gas, and Nolan took advantage in the third round. Following UFC Vegas 123, here is what I think should be next for the lightweight contenders.
Tom Nolan
Tom Nolan was set for his first UFC main event, and he made good on it. Nolan did benefit from a horrible stand-up when Moicano had back control. Yet, at that point of the fight, Moicano had already started to gas, and there was only a minute left in the round, so I don’t think it played a huge role.
With the win, Nolan will be right near the top 10 at lightweight and should be in line for a big fight. A logical next fight is to face Mateusz Gamrot who he called out, and makes plenty of sense. Gamrot would be a tough test with his grappling, and if Nolan can beat him, he would prove he’s a legit contender.
Renato Moicano
Renato Moicano entered the fight coming off a win over Duncan to snap his two-fight losing skid and show he’s still a fringe contender. Yet, Moicano’s gas tank hurt him against Nolan as he gassed, which led to the TKO loss in the third round.
At this point, Moicano is a gatekeeper at lightweight and will likely have to fight an unranked opponent. A fight that should be next is against Esteban Ribovics, who deserves a ranked opponent. Ribovics is coming off a TKO win over King Green, and fighting Moicano, who’s at the bottom of the top-15, makes sense. For Moicano, it would be a last chance to prove he’s still a contender, as with a loss, he will be out of the rankings.
What do you think should be next for Tom Nolan and Renato Moicano after UFC Vegas 123?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
