Nolan credits Van's composure as blueprint for surviving Moicano before UFC Vegas 123 TKO

Tom Nolan leaned on Joshua Van’s example to outlast Renato Moicano’s grappling assault and stop the Brazilian via technical knockout at 1:28 of the third round in their UFC Vegas 123 main event on October 31. The Australian lightweight had spent the opening two rounds defending rear-naked choke attempts before his striking ultimately proved decisive.

Nolan said he drew directly from Van’s UFC 331 flyweight title rematch against Alexandre Pantoja in September, in which the champion absorbed sustained ground control and won by unanimous decision across five rounds. Despite public criticism of Van’s willingness to remain on the mat rather than force escapes, Nolan saw a disciplined long-game approach worth copying.

“I took a lot of inspiration from Joshua Van’s performance,” Nolan said. “I thought he looked awesome with similar problems.”

Moicano repeatedly took Nolan down and threatened from back control during the first two rounds, but the Australian refused to panic. He said watching Van helped him accept that being dominated positionally for stretches was not the same as losing the fight.

“While I’m in it, I can’t think like that. I can’t worry about what other people are saying,” Nolan said. “I understand that it might be boring if he’s on my back for three minutes or whatever, but I’m playing the long game.”

The mindset proved correct. Nolan survived the grappling pressure, found his range on the feet, and finished Moicano in the third round to claim the main event victory. Van’s title defence, once criticised for its lack of urgency, had quietly become a tactical reference point for at least one fighter on the card.