Australia’s Tom Nolan extended his winning streak to six fights by stopping Brazil’s Renato Moicano via third-round technical knockout during his promotional headlining debut at UFC Fight Night 292 on October 31, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
The Halloween night card brought together a mix of rising contenders and established veterans at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The lightweight main event featured a matchup between No. 12-ranked Renato Moicano and No. 14-ranked Tom Nolan, as broadcast on Paramount+. The broadcast team on-site included commentators Dan Hellie, Daniel Cormier, and Laura Sanko, with Charly Arnolt handling reports and Joe Martinez serving as announcer.
Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan Clash in Lightweight Main Event
Moicano established his grappling rhythm early in the contest. After an opening exchange of body kicks, the Brazilian veteran executed a well-timed level change to take Nolan to the mat in the first round according to event reporting. Moicano transitioned directly to back control, locking in a body triangle and hunting for his signature rear-naked choke. Nolan maintained his composure, defending his neck through the opening horn.
Tons of respect between Tom Nolan and Renato Moicano 🤝[ #UFCVegas123 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] pic.twitter.com/4nI3URqBvy
The grappling sequence persisted into the subsequent rounds, where Moicano maintained top control while fishing for arms against a defense-minded opponent. Referee Dan Miragliotta ultimately intervened during a prolonged stalemate on the canvas, ordering the fighters back to their feet amid crowd boos over the lack of active advancement.
The MMA Fighting live blog described the stand-up as a travesty and unacceptable reffing, noting that while Nolan did his job to get the stoppage, the interference by Miragliotta was nonsense.
Tom Nolan finishes Moicano in the third.Great performance that was slightly tainted by that stand up in the second, but Moicano also did not look himself in that fight.
Once standing, Nolan capitalized immediately on the fresh space. He caught Moicano with a damaging strike that altered the momentum of the bout. Moicano attempted a desperate takedown to stem the incoming offense, but Nolan reversed the position, secured top control, and unleashed a barrage of unanswered punches until the referee stepped in to stop the fight at 1:28 of the third round at the UFC Meta APEX.
Following his triumph, Nolan expressed appreciation for his team at City Kickboxing and coach Eugene Bareman, noting that his transition to the stable provided the exact environment needed to prepare for a main event assignment against an opponent he grew up watching. Entering the Octagon at 155.5 pounds compared to Moicano’s 156-pound mark at the official weigh-ins, the 26-year-old Australian capitalized on youth and range against the 37-year-old Brazilian veteran, who entered the night holding the No. 12 spot in the lightweight rankings.
Moicano, who fought under a current contract with three fights remaining after this booking, had previously requested marquee challenges following his victory over Chris Duncan earlier in the year. The defeat halts Moicano’s recent momentum in the division while elevating Nolan into the upper tier of lightweight contenders after securing his sixth consecutive victory since dropping his promotional debut.
Jacobe Smith Controls Randy Brown in Welterweight Co-Main Event
In the co-main event, undefeated welterweight Jacobe Smith put on a dominant grappling exhibition against veteran Randy Brown across three full rounds. Smith neutralized Brown’s length and striking range right from the opening bell, utilizing explosive takedowns to deposit the UFC veteran onto the canvas and establish suffocating top control.
Nightmare fuel 🕷️Tom Nolan earns the TKO victory after a back-and-forth affair at #UFCVegas123! pic.twitter.com/n8pm29m7Vf
Cody Durden and Luana Santos Secure Unanimous Decisions
Elsewhere on the main card, Cody Durden utilized early wrestling control to secure a unanimous decision victory over Ode’ Osbourne in their flyweight encounter. Durden brought his experience into the cage against Osbourne, who possessed distinct speed advantages before the veteran’s grappling took over. In the women’s bantamweight division, No. 7-ranked Luana Santos earned a unanimous decision over No. 6-ranked Yana Santos behind a grapple-heavy game plan that yielded three 29-28 marks from the cage-side judges, extending Luana’s winning streak to four fights.
Additional main card action featured middleweight competitor Zach Reese meeting Mickey Gall on Halloween night. Farman Hasanov also debuted on the preliminary slate before suffering a third-round TKO loss to Saimon Lebosnoyani, whose eyelid damage stoppage brought an end to the preliminary proceedings.
How do you guys feel about Nolan’s win? The referee standing them up when Moicano had the back changed the fight
More on Tom Nolan
#UFCVegas123 Official Result: Tom Nolan defeats Renato Moicano by TKO, Round 3, 1:28Complete Main Card Results ➡️ https://t.co/vzHKBaKuMhComplete Scorecards ➡️ https://t.co/0jl6F5aVPo pic.twitter.com/p10NKHsQ0G