LAS VEGAS – Tom Nolan is eager and ready to seize an opportunity Saturday that many may not have seen coming just five fights after a devastating UFC debut loss.
“I asked for this after the last one,” Nolan told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I said to (Sean) Shelby at the back, I just want to get a bit of trouble in.”
Advertisement
Nolan (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) battles Fares Ziam (18-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 278 on Saturday at the Meta APEX in a subtly important lightweight bout, as both men aim to crack the rankings in one of the UFC’s deepest divisions.
“I think he’s a very good opponent, very tough opponent,” Nolan said. “Perfect challenge for where I’m at in my career right now. I think I’ve got all the tools to beat him, a lot of development in my time off since my last fight. I won’t reveal too much, but I’m very, very excited for this one. … No pressure. That’s just excitement. I’m 26 years old, going to be ranked. That’s a dream of mine.”
“… I think we have a pretty similar style. There’s a lot of different ways to see this one going, to be honest. There’s a lot of opportunity for me to win. I’ll keep it close to the chest, as to how I actually see it finishing. But there’s a lot of ways for me to beat this guy.”
Australia’s Nolan, 26, enters the fight on a bit of a heater, coming off wins over Victor Martinez, Alex Reyes, Viacheslav Borshchev, and Charlie Campbell. The victories came after a devastating knockout loss to Nikolas Motta – a defeat Nolan said changed his mindset.
Advertisement
“(That loss) taught me fighting is not who I am,” Nolan said. “It’s something I do. I’ve learned to relax into my career, remember that it’s important to have a life outside of just training and just fighting. I think I’ve matured really well. I was 23 years old on the world stage. I’ve had three years in the UFC. I’m ready for this moment. I’m ready for this pressure. I enjoy it a lot more now. I used to not enjoy the pressure that much. Now, I love it.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Tom Nolan views UFC Vegas 118 as step into rankings notoriety
