Key takeaways
- Renato Moicano (21-7-1), 37, ranked No. 12, faces Tom Nolan (11-1), 26, ranked No. 14, at lightweight on October 31 at the Meta APEX.
- Nolan has won 5 straight, the last by unanimous decision over Farès Ziam in June. Moicano submitted Chris Duncan in April.
- MMA Junkie lists Nolan at -125 and Moicano at +105. The main card starts at 8 PM ET on Paramount+.
Moicano vs Nolan: the main event
How it came about
Moicano was due to face Brian Ortega at UFC 331 in September, but Ortega withdrew with a cut, as we reported. Moicano was then rebooked to headline in Las Vegas against Nolan.
The rankings at stake
Moicano is No. 12 at lightweight and Nolan No. 14, according to ufc.com. A win would move either man closer to the top 10.
A slight favourite
According to MMA Junkie, the bookmakers give a small edge to the younger man: Nolan at -125, Moicano at +105.
2 profiles, 2 generations
Renato Moicano
The Brazilian from American Top Team is 21-7-1, with 11 wins by submission, according to ufc.com. He choked out Chris Duncan in round 2 in April, after a decision loss to Beneil Dariush and a short-notice title fight against Islam Makhachev in January 2025.
Tom Nolan
The Australian, nicknamed Big Train, is 11-1 and 5-1 in the UFC. His only UFC loss came against Nikolas Motta in January 2024. Since then, he has won 5 in a row, including a submission of Charlie Campbell in round 1 in Perth.
Experience against momentum
Moicano has 20 UFC fights behind him. Nolan has 6, and this is his 1st main event, according to MMA Junkie.
Now I feel like I'm ready to take on the top end of lightweight in the next year or so.
The rest of the card
The main card
Jacobe Smith (13-0) faces Randy Brown at welterweight. Yana Santos and Luana Santos meet at women’s bantamweight. Cody Durden vs Ode’ Osbourne, Mickey Gall vs Zach Reese and Farman Hasanov vs Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani complete the main card.
A cancelled bout
Azamat Bekoev vs Andre Petroski will not happen: Bekoev withdrew after an anaphylactic reaction, and Petroski declined a replacement.
Follow the card
Renato Moicano, Tom Nolan and every fighter on the card have their profile, record and rating in the FightHub app.
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