Athletes
This Fight Is About Redemption For Tom Nolan
After A Tough UFC Debut, Australia’s Tom Nolan Aims To Get His First UFC Victory In Style At UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Murphy
It wasn’t the start to his UFC career that he’d hoped for, but the only thing for Tom Nolan to do is get back in the Octagon and deliver.
Coming off the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series, Nolan was one of the top prospects to earn a UFC contract. The Australian lightweight dropped his UFC debut in January to Nikolas Motta, suffering the first defeat of his professional mixed martial arts career.
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The loss lit a fire under the 24-year-old and pushed him to level up every aspect of his physical and mental game. He took the lessons from the defeat and he’s expecting to get his first UFC victory this weekend when he faces Victor Martinez at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Murphy.
“It’s the biggest motivator that I’ve ever had,” Nolan told UFC.com. “I want to win this more than anything.
“I guess it made me more grounded. I had one loss as an amateur, went on a win streak after that. Just a good reminder I’m not invincible so I’ve got to fight smarter and I’m excited to show that.”
One thing giving Nolan confidence heading into the bout with Martinez is that this fight week was his third in Las Vegas and will be his third time fighting at the UFC APEX. Things are more comfortable now, and understanding the process of what fight week is takes the worry out of preparation.
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Entering fight week knowing what to expect helps him keep his sights on purely what will happen when the Octagon door locks behind him and Martinez. In previous fight camps, Nolan believes he made the mistake of looking too much into what his opponent is capable of, so for this fight with Martinez he is solely locked in on what he brings to the fight.
“I’m not worried about what he can do,” Nolan said. “I know his skill set. I know he’s obviously very powerful, he’s got good striking, and good grappling. He’s good everywhere, but everyone is good everywhere so it’s not about picking him apart and figuring out what he can do. It’s about what I can do.”
What Nolan can do is dominate the distance and range in the striking. He can be a sniper and use his long range to batter the opposition. He’s not afraid to jump in the pocket to make the fight exciting or to land a fight ending strike. Those qualities are what caught the eyes of UFC CEO Dana White on DWCS. He’s just got to put it together against Martinez and get that first UFC win, then everyone else will see it, too.
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“I think a lot of people are going to be introduced to a big prospect,” Nolan said. “Obviously, the last one didn’t go my way, but this is my redemption fight.
“I honestly mean it that I’m willing to die in there,” Nolan said. “I want this win; I need this win more than anything.”
UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Murphy took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 18, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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