Miragliotta's Bad Stand-Up Call Has the MMA World Fuming

Renato Moicano was mid-mauling on Tom Nolan, back taken and cruising, when referee Dan Miragliotta inexplicably stood the fight up during last weekend's UFC Vegas 123 card [4]. Moicano says the stoppage completely blindsided him, admitting he was shocked in the moment but forced himself to refocus on the fight mmascene.com. He's not pointing fingers at Nolan either, saying Nolan beat him fair and square and it wasn't his fault the referee made a mistake, even though he went into the third round hurt and frustrated mmamania.com. Moicano also got real about his own standing in the sport, bluntly telling people he's not Khabib or Charles Oliveira and calling himself a journeyman when Nolan said Moicano was one of his heroes sherdog.com. That blown call reportedly cost Moicano his spot as a UFC main eventer mmajunkie.usatoday.com, which is exactly the kind of officiating gaffe that keeps turning fight week into a referee-accountability debate instead of a fight recap.

Big John McCarthy Pulls Back the Curtain on Ref Pay

With bad officiating back in the headlines, legendary referee Big John McCarthy decided to drop some truth about what UFC refs actually get paid [4]. Two grand for an entire night of officiating in the world's biggest promotion is a wild number to sit with, especially in the same week a referee's split-second call may have altered a main event [4]. If the sport wants better officiating, paying referees like they're running a lemonade stand probably isn't the way to get there.

Artem Lobov Isn't Done Blasting Conor McGregor

Artem Lobov is once again going after his former best friend Conor McGregor, this time accusing him of breaking payment promises he made to people close to him [3]. This comes months after Lobov and McGregor settled their public whiskey dispute [3], so clearly the peace didn't last long. Lobov didn't hold back, saying McGregor "took care of nobody" [5]. The backstory matters here: Lobov reportedly pocketed several million dollars from McGregor for helping launch the hugely successful Proper 12 whiskey brand, but only after he filed a contentious lawsuit to actually get paid [5]. Lobov clearly thinks that pattern of only paying up when forced is the the real story of who McGregor is to the people who helped build his empire [5].

RIZIN55 Trash Talk Is Heating Up Ahead of Sunday

RIZIN 55 lands this Sunday the 8th at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY in Funabashi, and the bantamweight matchup between Jinnosuke Kashimura and Shinobu Ota has turned into a legitimate war of words [6]. Kashimura has been engaging in some serious verbal sparring with Ota heading into a fight that separates the top and bottom of the division [6]. On the same card, Kim Soo-chul is heading into his bout with Ryuichi Fukuda saying he honestly just wants to concentrate on RIZIN right now [8], a telling comment given how much attention his run has pulled in other directions.

ONE Fight Night 49 Brings a Rematch Under New Rules

Over in Bangkok, ONE Fight Night 49 goes down this Saturday at Lumpinee Stadium, and Japanese veteran Daiki Naito is running it back with Gontorani, except this time under kickboxing rules [7]. Naito is riding three straight wins and called this rematch one of the trials he needs to pass to become champion [7]. A guy with that kind of momentum switching rule sets for a rematch is the sort of stylistic gamble that makes a card worth watching.

Pancrase Welcomes Back a Familiar Face

Masanori Kikuta is returning to Pancrase for the first time in sixty-one months when he faces Shinichi Taira at Pancrase 368 this Sunday at New Pier Hall in Tokyo [9]. Kikuta spent his time away compiling a three win, two loss record across Bellator and PFL [9], and he says he's coming back hoping to show a new version of himself at a different level [9]. Five years is a long time to be gone from a promotion, and how he looks against Taira will say a lot about whether that international run actually leveled him up.

UFC 334 Betting Lines Are Already Being Drawn in the Fan Forums

With UFC 334 landing November 14th and putting Josh Hokit opposite Ciryl Gane in the main event, fans are already building the blueprint for an upset. One popular theory going around is that Hokit should bum rush Gane, take him down, and finish him in the first round, since Jon Jones already showed that getting Gane to the ground and smothering him is the way to beat him. Before that, UFC Fight Night: Cortes Acosta vs. Walker is scheduled for this Saturday, November 7th, with Johnny Walker taking on Waldo Cortes Acosta in the main event.

Sources

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