Dana White unsure on Moicano stand-up, says twice a year 'would be nice' for Makhachev

UFC president Dana White told reporters on Wednesday, November 4, that he didn't know what to think of referee Dan Miragliotta's stand-up in Renato Moicano's loss to Tom Nolan. He said the test is damage, not position. White also said twice a year "would be nice" for welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, who has turned down a title defence set for January.

The stand-up

Moicano and Nolan headlined UFC Vegas 123 at the Meta APEX on October 31. In the second round, Moicano had Nolan's back with a body triangle when Miragliotta stood them up. Nolan then hurt him with a knee and nearly finished him before the horn, Uncrowned reported. The finish came from elbows at 1:28 of the third round.

White didn't criticise the referee, but he didn't endorse the call either. "I don't know. I honestly don't know what to think," he said, according to MMA Mania. The question, he said, is "Are you doing damage, and are you trying to win the fight?" He set out the rule as he sees it, MMA Mania reported:

"The rules are, if you're not doing damage, advancing your position and trying to finish the fight, you get stood up."

On the post-fight show, Daniel Cormier called it "a referee error," and Laura Sanko said: "Getting to that spot is advancing your position in grappling." Veteran referee "Big" John McCarthy disagreed on damage. On his Weighing In podcast, he said Moicano "had to have thrown 20, 25 strikes" in the minute before the stand-up, Sherdog reported.

Moicano wrote afterwards that he "couldn't do any damage," but he told MMA Fighting: "It was the wrong decision, but it's not going to change anything." He won't take it further. "I'm not going to file any complaint," he said, as quoted by Heavy. Nolan wrote on Instagram: "I can only control what's in my hands, not the referee's decisions."

Miragliotta and the Nevada State Athletic Commission had not commented publicly as of Wednesday.

The result went against the betting favourite. Moicano closed at about −135, a 55% chance, after opening as a +105 underdog, according to our fight page. Nolan, 26, is now 12-1 with six straight UFC wins, and he has won as the underdog in each of his last two fights.

We think the stand-up was wrong even by White's own test. Moicano was striking from the back, by McCarthy's count, and holding a body triangle there is advancing position, as Sanko said.

Makhachev's pace

Makhachev verbally agreed to defend his title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 in Toronto on January 30, 2027, according to MMA Junkie. He backed out before UFC 333 on October 24. Speaking at a media event in Las Vegas, White kept his response mild, MMA Junkie reported:

"Being the champ, I don't really expect you to fight three times a year. But twice would be nice."

"What it starts to do is back up the division," White said. He put the slower schedule down to money: "Once you start to get enough money, you don't have to fight all the time."

Makhachev is 29-1 and has won 17 straight in the UFC, per his fighter page. He fought twice in 2025 and once in 2026, beating Ian Machado Garry by decision on August 15 as a −345 favourite. He wants Prates and the unbeaten Michael Morales to settle the top contender spot first. "Just let them fight, and we will figure out who's the real challenger," he told a Russian outlet, as translated by MMA Junkie.

The UFC announced Prates vs. Morales for the interim title at UFC 336 during its October 24 broadcast, MMA Junkie reported. Makhachev is expected to sit out Ramadan, and MMA Junkie projects he may not fight until summer 2027. On October 30 he wrote on X: "My next fight is one of the last in my career," MMA Sucka reported.

We think the UFC was right to book an interim title. Makhachev has fought once in 2026 and is talking about the end of his career, so twice a year looks unlikely. The Prates-Morales winner should get him first when he returns.