UFC Fight Night results, highlights: Tom Nolan gets TKO of Renato Moicano after controversial referee ruling

Saturday's main event was the next chapter in an ongoing battle between longtime elite lightweights and the next generation. Moicano, 37, looked sharp early against Nolan, 11 years his junior, controlling him with his takedown entries and elite back control. It's a position Nolan was very prepared to survive, having explicitly studied it in preparation for his last fight against Fares Ziam. 

Moicano urgently took Nolan down after eating a clean head kick in the second round. Moicano's back control mostly consisted of a body triangle, leg lace, and pitter-patter punches that mostly hit Nolan's arm. After some time, referee Dan Mirgaliotta stood the fighters up for inactivity.

It was a popular decision among fans in the Meta APEX, but many online disagreed. It's very rare for a referee to intervene when a fighter has such a dominant position. While Moicano wasn't landing effectively, he wasn't stalling either. That decision completely changed the course of the fight. 

Nolan drilled Moicano with a head kick before landing a knee that put Moicano down. Moicano barely survived the subsequent onslaught, getting back to his feet just in time for the round to end. Nolan picked up immediately where he left off in Round 3, stunning Moicano with a head kick and punch before dropping him again. The referee gave Moicano ample time to survive, but had to wave it off after Moicano took a large volume of ground strikes.

Nolan digs a head kick and stuff Moicano's takedown. Moicano gets the guard up, but the head kick still rocks him! Another punch has him stunned! Moicano gets the takedown, but Nolan reverses position. He's raining down brutal elbows! The referee is looking closely as Moicano desperately tries to slow the fight down. The referee has seen enough. It's all over!

Nolan starts off the second round with a low kick. Moicano lands another thudding body kick. The orthodox vs. southpaw battle makes the body kick available to both fighters. Moicano presses Nolan to the fence. Nolan reverses position and separates. They're exchanging leather. Nolan domes Moicano with a head kick! Moicano eats it. Nolan scores to the body. Moicano clinches, takes the back, and circles Nolan to the mat. Moicano locks up the body triangle and leg lace again. Moicano is throwing a lot of light strikes, but most of them are hitting Nolan's forearms. Nolan responds with hard elbows to the thigh. Referee Dan Miragliotta makes the unusual but popular decision to stand them up for inactivity. You don't usually see that when one fighter has the other's back. Nolan rocks Moicano with a head kick and drops him with a knee! Moicano is in terrible trouble. Nolan pours on the offense and busts him up! Moicano gets to his feet and barely survives the round. Unofficial score: 10-8 Nolan (19-18 Nolan overall)

A touch of the gloves gets us started. Moicano occupies an orthodox stance. Nolan lands his first body kick from southpaw. Moicano responds with an even louder one. Nolan darts in with a right hand, a technique he picked up from watching Cory Sandhagen instructional videos. Moicano initiates a double-leg takedown. He eats a punch on the way in, but is able to turn the corner, dump Nolan, and immediately take his back. Moicano quickly locks in a body triangle with a leg lace. This is one of Moicano's best positions. Nolan keeps rolling, but Moicano sticks to him. Nolan fends off the first rear-naked choke attempt. Nolan uses the fence to stand up. Moicano is still on his back. The leg lace is keeping Moicano tight to his opponent. Nolan throws hard elbows to the thigh, trying to loosen Moicano's grip. Moicano wrenches back on the chin, and they fall hard to the mat. Moicano still has the body triangle. Moicano pitter-pats punches to the body and head. Nolan starts throwing behind him. Moicano racked up a ton of control time, but didn't do enough damage or meaningfully threaten submission for a 10-8 round. Unofficial score: 10-9 Moicano

The lightweight division is a battleground between stubborn veterans and prodigious new blood. Renato Moicano and Tom Nolan join the fray tonight.

Moicano demanded money fights after dispatching hungry prospect Chris Duncan in April. Brian Ortega offered exactly what Moicano wanted; however, two "T-City" withdrawals left "Money" Moicano empty-handed. Uninterested in booking Ortega a third time, Moicano made the financially wise but competitively risky choice to headline opposite another eager contender.

Nolan has not lost sight of the opportunity ahead of him. Quillan Salkilld, Paddy Pimblett and Salahdine Parnasse are among the young stars replacing the longstanding lightweight elite. Nolan can be part of a changing tide in the division by knocking off Moicano, whom he grew up watching. He's also uniquely equipped, having studied Moicano's win over Benoit Saint Denis as he prepared for his breakout fight against Fares Ziam.

The chilling "Halloween" theme song that accompanied Smith's entrance was a premonition. Smith slashed Brown with his elbows in the second round, painting the mat with his blood. Much like the "Halloween" franchise, there was a predictable formula to the fight. Smith landed low crushing low kicks and cut off the fence before taking Brown down. Smith, who was at an 11-inch combined height and reach disadvantage, managed the space very well. He stayed clear of Brown's punches before blasting in with a double-leg takedown. 

The fight was not without controversy. In Round 3, Smith grabbed the fence multiple times while in top position. Referee Herb Dean, who took an immediate point deduction for an eyepoke in a separate fight, swatted Smith's hand away three times but didn't penalize him, either with a point deduction or by relinquishing Smith's advantageous position. 

Ultimately, all three judges scored the fight 30-26 for the "Contender Series" graduate. Post-fight, he called out Sean Brady and Gabriel Bonfim for January.

We've reached the co-main event. "Dana White's Contender Series" graduate Smith is stone-cold serious this week. Smith, who took the fight on 12 days' notice, believes that Brown is standing between him and a ranked opponent. The NCAA Division I All-American from Oklahoma State has a serious mean streak, stopping all four of his opponents since debuting in the UFC last year. Brown, once a ranked welterweight, is as experienced as they come. If Smith isn't careful, Brown could derail the hype train.

Durden and Osbourne might have been fighting for their UFC careers tonight. Both men stepped into the Octagon with only one win in their last six appearances each. Durden fought someone who had everything to lose. He stayed in Osbourne's face for 15 minutes and executed his wrestling. He nearly locked in a first-round twister, but Osbourne escaped. Durden led Osbourne 57-5 in total strikes. Round 2 was more competitive, but the judges still sided with Durden. Osbourne won ground in Round 3 after sweeping Durden, but it was too little, too late.

"I turned that man into fried turkey on Halloween," Durden said, whatever that means, in his post-fight interview.

We have a pick'em! These flyweights don't win consistently, but they're consistently fun to watch. They've each won only one of their last six fights. Another loss for either man could be disastrous. 

Luana and Yana Santos spent three rounds competing in a fight too close to call. The narrowness mirrored many of the facts heading into Fight Night. Yana and Luana entered the fight ranked No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, in the official UFC women's bantamweight rankings. Each had three straight wins before Saturday. Santos and Santos were split one round apiece heading into the final frame of a grappling-heavy fight. Luana's takedowns and total strike tally won her the third round of an abysmal fight. The statistic that best illustrates how dull the fight was is that they landed a combined 137 total strikes, but only 32 were significant.

This could get confusing. Yana and Luana, ironically ranked No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, in the women's bantamweight division, collide next. Yana, formerly Yana Kunitskaya, enters on a three-fight win streak. The 17-year MMA veteran has faced former UFC champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, whom she beat. Luana also won her last three, most recently beating Karol Rosa.

It wouldn't be Halloween without a little gore. On the same night that Rodrigo Sezinado split a man's lip in half, Lebosnoyani nearly punched Farman Hasanov's eyebrow off. Referee Dan Miragliotta, after consulting with a doctor, waved the fight off in the third round. Hasanov protested the stoppage, but Miragliotta made the right call. Hasanov's eyebrow was peeling off his face from the damage he sustained. 

"I can do it! I can get a finish in the UFC!"

The first round started evenly, but Lebosnoyani found his distance and took over. He had Hasanov punching at the air, and the body kicks Hasanov absorbed drained his gas tank. Hasanov found himself walking straight back and failing to finish his takedowns. His face was all beat up in the second round, a borderline 10-8. It only took a little more damage in Round 3 to stop the fight.

Welterweights kick off the main card. Lebosnoyani has endeared himself to fans with his deep knowledge of UFC MMA memes. He recreates a viral moment every fight week. He's not too shabby in the Octagon either. Lebosnoyani seeks his third consecutive win against Hasanov. 

The close betting odds accurately reflect Saturday's main event. Moicano and Nolan are both coming off impressive wins, but Father Time treats them very differently. The biggest mystery is how quickly Moicano, 37, is declining and how much Nolan, 26, will grow from fight to fight. A submission for Moicano or a knockout for Nolan are both on the table. Either way, the fight should end inside the distance. Click below for a more detailed breakdown on tonight's main event.

UFC Fight Night predictions -- Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan: Fight card, odds and expert picks for Las Vegas

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Not all wrestlers make great fighters. NCAA Division I All-American Smith was a fighter long before he walked the halls of Oklahoma State. 

"My mom was telling him to get out of our yard or something," Smith told CBS Sports. "He told her, 'Shut up, [bitch].' I don't even remember. I took off running, and there was a stump on the ground. I jumped off of it and hit him. He fell in the yard and balled up, rolling back and forth. He was a guy who beat up my cousin, who is older than me and used to bully me, and got me tough. I don't know what made me do it, but when I hit him, it changed me. I thought, 'I'm going to fight in the UFC when I'm older."

Why a childhood punch convinced Jacobe Smith he belonged in the UFC: 'It changed me'

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Vancouver stand up! "The Ultimate Fighter" finalist Sezinado scored his first UFC win by doctor's stoppage. He very likely stole the first round with a spinning back fist and looping punches that had Theodor Berggren reaching. A dominant second round saw Sezinado land ground-and-pound from the mount. A nasty elbow badly sliced Berggren's lip, forcing a doctor stoppage between rounds. 

Nolan wants to join good friend Quillan Salkilld and the other new-generation lightweights taking over the division. He gets his chance tonight against longtime contender Renato Moicano. Inspired by Cory Sandhagen and Charles Oliveira, Salkilld moved his training camp to City Kickboxing to prepare for his first main event. Learn more about Nolan below.

Who is Tom Nolan? Meet the rising Aussie looking to cut up one of his idols at UFC Fight Night

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Welcome to CBS Sports' live coverage for UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan. We're live Octagon-side at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Stay here for live video highlights from tonight's fight, plus recaps for the main card fights. Tonight's show is headlined by Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan. The Aussie contender idolizes Moicano, but the Brazilian veteran isn't interested in romanticizing their fight. Moicano wants money, not compliments.