Dana White has picked a side in the Dan Miragliotta mess, and it’s the referee’s.
Speaking in a recent media scrum, the UFC CEO pushed back on the heat aimed at Miragliotta over the stand-up in the UFC Vegas 123 main event between Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan. For anyone who missed it, Moicano had Nolan stuck in an ugly grappling spot when Miragliotta separated them and brought the fight back to the feet. Nolan went on to win by TKO, and the internet has been on fire ever since.
White opened with a shrug. “I knew that [question] was coming. I honestly don’t know what to think about it. We haven’t talked about it at all, haven’t even discussed it,” he said.
Then he got more specific, laying out what he sees as the standard for a stand-up. “I don’t think it’s about being too dominant in a position; it’s about: are you doing damage, and are you trying to win the fight? Because if that’s what you want to do, some of these guys are so good, they can take your back and just ride it out for three rounds,” White said.
He followed with the rule as he understands it: “The rules are: If you’re not doing damage or trying to advance your position, or trying to win the fight, you get stood up.”
Who’s Been Swinging at Miragliotta
White is pretty much alone on this hill so far. Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier and “Big” John McCarthy have all taken shots at the call in the days since the event, according to BJPenn.com. That’s the UFC’s longtime color commentator, a two-division champ turned analyst and arguably the most famous referee in the sport’s history, all landing on the same side.
White wasn’t even in the building. He skipped the card at the Apex last Saturday but said he kept close tabs on what happened in the Octagon.
Miragliotta hasn’t told his side of the story yet. He has, however, said he’d explain the decision publicly if the Nevada State Athletic Commission signs off, after Ariel Helwani offered him a platform to do it.
Nolan isn’t escaping the blowback either. BJPenn.com reported that a well-known coach ripped the lightweight contender over how he’s handled the controversy since grabbing what the outlet called the biggest win of his career.
A Strange Look for Dana
This is the part that should make longtime fans do a double take. White has a history of going nuclear on referees, with Steve Mazzagatti and Herb Dean both on the receiving end of his tirades over the years. He’s widely seen as a major reason Mazzagatti’s officiating career stalled out. So seeing him play defense attorney for a ref under fire is like watching Vince McMahon hand the babyface a microphone.
My take: White’s rule is fine on paper. Nobody wants 15 minutes of a guy lying on someone’s back like a weighted blanket. The trouble is that the people yelling loudest here have spent decades watching grappling exchanges for a living, and they saw a fighter in a winning position get his advantage erased right before he lost. If Miragliotta looked at that position and saw an idle Moicano, he needs to say so, and the commission should let him. Right now, the guy with the best explanation is the one stuck waiting on paperwork from the NSAC.
