Tom Nolan
Hurts Moicano at the end of the round!! ( #UFCVegas123 | Live on @paramountplus ) https://t.co/rtM3yRCRa5— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
November 1, 2026
Tom Nolan scored the biggest win of his blossoming MMA career by stopping the veteran Renato Carneiro in the third round of the main tournament of the year
UFC Vegas 123 At Meta Apex in Las Vegas. However, the victory did not come without controversy.
Carneiro (21-8-1) dominated much of the first two rounds, scoring takedowns and constantly threatening the back of Nolan’s neck with choke attempts and back kicks. Nolan was unable to dislodge himself and at the end of the second round, when the Brazilian was on Nolan’s back again, landing punches and elbows and threatening a choke, the crowd began to boo. Longtime referee Dan Miragliota inexplicably intervened and lifted the fighters to their feet, forcing “Moicano” to lose his dominant position.
From there, Nolan (12-1) landed a knee to Carneiro’s face, shaking him badly. The Aussie narrowly knocked out “Moicano,” but the Brazilian survived the round. Unfortunately for Carneiro, his head wasn’t clear to start the third and Nolan capitalized. “The Big Train” landed dozens of punches, knocked his lightweight foe to the ground, and then
he stopped with strikes at 1:28 of the third.
Jacob Smith took over Randy Brown
(20-9) on short notice and it paid off. Smith (14-0) remained undefeated as he grinded out a three-round unanimous decision victory in the main event. Smith scored multiple takedowns and landed dozens of punches and elbows to Brown’s head, winning every round. All three judges favored Smith with scores of 30-26.
Cody Durden the battle was on Ode to Osbourne as the flyweights largely wrestled for three rounds, but Durden’s early aggression paved the way for the victory. Durden (19-11-1) scored multiple takedowns and threatened to submit in the first two rounds, but fended off Osbourne’s submission threats in the third. In the end, all three judges saw the score as 29-28 for Durden; Osbourne fell 13-10.
Luana Santos used excellent takedown power and controlled most of the weight contest on the ground to earn a unanimous decision Now the saints. Luana (12-2) threatened several submission attempts in the second and third rounds, but Yana (17-9-, 1 NC) fended them off. All three judges scored 29:28 in favor of Luana.
Jean-Paul Lebosnoyan took another step up the welterweight ladder as he pounded and sliced Farman Hasanovscoring a TKO in the third due to severe injuries. Lebosnojani (12-2) landed dozens of punches and kicks to the head and body, but Hasanov (5-1) was tough as leather and never stopped swinging for the fences. However, referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the game in the final round to have Hasanov’s cuts examined and
it was determined that they were too heavyending the fight at 2:11.
Featherweight contender Dakota Hope
eked to the past Francis Marshall his first victory in the octagon. Hope (12-2) rallied in the second half with pure aggression and more pressure to win the match by split decision. Hope won 29-28 on two official scorecards, while one card gave Marshall (10-4) a 29-28 win.
Rodrigo Sezinando was TKOed at the end of the second round when the cageside doctor felt a nasty cut Theodor Berggrenthe upper lip was too rough. Sezinando (9-2) landed a vicious elbow at the end of the second that knocked “Simba” down.
lip wide opene. But before the third could begin, referee Kerry Hatley listened to the doctor’s advice and stopped the fight. Berggren dropped to 8-5.
A longtime veteran Julian Erosa was stunning in his farewell fight, starching his featherweight opponent Jeong Yeong Lee in just 91 seconds. Lee (11-4) hurt Erosa when he landed a punch right after the fight started, but “Juicy J” weathered the storm and returned the fire. When he did, he was a “Korean Tiger”.
fell right on his face and from there, Erosa (32-13) received follow-up strikes until referee Chris Tognoni pulled him down.
Zachary Reese was too much Mickey Gall
manage as he easily dropped him by unanimous decision in their three-round middleweight affair. Reese (11-4) controlled the tempo and hit the better shots, winning 30-27 (three times). Gall fell 7-8.
Middleweight contender Joseph Kropschot made a statement in his UFC debut when he was the first to submit Nick Klein
in MMA. Klein (6-4) tried to secure a back naked choke early in the second, but Kropschot (10-3) scrambled out and locked
slippery inverted triangle handcuff. Kelin hit a second in 1:25.
In a bantamweight battle Kai Rodriguez was achieved by unanimous decision Talita Alencar (8-2-1). Each round was about as close as they come, with both women landing solid shots, but the three cageside judges favored Rodriguez (13-2) 30-27.
Lucia Szabova was impressive in his UFC debut as he wore down and lost to fellow flyweight Tainara Lisbon in the third. After dragging Lisboa (7-5) to the canvas about midway through the final round, the Russian unloaded
steady ground and pound attack to force the referee to stop. The end of the third came at 3:20, allowing Szabova to improve to 11-0.
