Eric Nolan’s Third-Round TKO Closes Court McGee’s Career at UFC 332

Court McGee’s final walk ended with Eric Nolan earning his first UFC victory.

Cageside Press reported that Nolan stopped McGee with strikes at 3:26 of the third round Saturday at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, turning a competitive welterweight fight with elbows and a decisive right hand along the fence. McGee then confirmed his retirement in front of his hometown crowd.

The result closes McGee’s career at 23-14 overall after 25 archived UFC bouts. For bettors, it also offers a useful distinction: the broad handicap on Nolan proved correct, but the path was more complicated than the closing moneyline suggested.

Nolan cashed a steep price, but not without resistance

Nolan closed between -225 and -240 across the seven tracked books. McGee ranged from +185 to +198, with FanDuel posting the best available return on the retiring veteran and BetOnline, Caesars, Bovada and BetMGM dealing Nolan at the least expensive -225.

That market treated Nolan as a clear favorite despite his 0-2 UFC start. The result validated the direction, not necessarily every part of the price. McGee forced clinch and takedown exchanges, damaged Nolan’s nose with his jab and remained competitive into the final round. Nolan did not simply overwhelm him from the opening exchange.

The mechanism behind the finish matters more than the winner alone. McGee’s forward pressure initially gave him access to the fence, but his takedown attempts did not produce sustained ground control. Once Nolan kept the fight standing and made McGee retreat, the geography changed: McGee could no longer use pressure to set the terms, and Nolan had room to build combinations before trapping him near the cage.