Who is Tom Nolan?
By Jaren Kawada
Tom Nolan entered season seven of Dana White's Contender Series as one of the most hyped prospects of the year and will showcase his skill set in the UFC on the first fight card of 2024.
Standing 6'3" with a 76-inch reach, Nolan mirrors the gigantic frame of top-10-ranked lightweight Jalin Turner. The Australian is undefeated at 6-0 and is fresh off of a win over Bogdan Grad on the Contender Series in under two minutes, his fourth straight knockout victory.
Following his performance against Grad, Dana White could not have been more excited to sign Nolan. White called Nolan a 'straight killer' with a 'bright future.'
"Tom Nolan, I shouldn't even have to say anything but I'm gonna," White said when announcing UFC contract winners on Aug. 8, 2023. "He's a straight killer. Only 23 years old, the only thing I have to say about this kid is you have a bright future, Tom Nolan. Get over here."
Nolan will be the third fighter from his episode on the Contender Series to make his debut. Kevin Borjas, Caio Machado and Peyton Talbott have all competed in the UFC since winning a contract on episode one of the seventh season of DWCS. Cesar Almeida also earned a contract on the night but has yet to make his first octagon appearance.
Nolan fights out of the Team Compton Training Centre in Brisbane, Australia.
Tom Nolan will fight Nikolas Motta at UFC Vegas 84
Debuting in the UFC in 2024, Nolan will face XTreme Couture lightweight Nikolas Motta at UFC Vegas 84. Motta is making a relatively quick turnaround after a bizarre no-contest outing against Trey Ogden in November 2023.
With all of the hype behind Nolan and Motta's 1-2 UFC record, the 23-year-old prodigy is a heavy favorite to hit the ground running on Jan. 13.
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