It’s not lost on Tom Nolan what it means to compete in a UFC main event one week after fellow Australian fighter Alexander Volkanovski delivered one of his best career performances.
This past Saturday at UFC 333, Volkanovski successfully defended his featherweight title with a second-round TKO win over the previously undefeated Movsar Evloev. Now this weekend, Nolan headlines his own card against veteran Renato Moicano at UFC Vegas 123 on Saturday at Meta APEX.
“Yeah, man I knew he was going to win,
but to win like that was very, very impressive against, obviously, an opponent of that level,” Nolan told MMA Fighting. “It’s insane, to be honest. He doesn’t give away too much. He keeps things close to the chest, so it’s like, it’s hard to know what’s going to happen.
“But when he goes out and does that, it’s, honestly, just insane, man. It’s an honor to be the next weekend’s main event after him. It’s pretty cool.”
It was pretty close to a pick ‘em once the betting lines closed for the Volkanovski vs. Evloev, but “The Great” showed he could have been a -3500 favorite with the way he dominated Evloev.
As Nolan prepares for his first ever UFC headliner, he can’t help but draw energy from Volkanovski’s impressive showing.
“Yeah, it’s inspiring,” Nolan said. “It makes me believe… like, look at the sport. Ten years ago, we barely had an Aussie in the UFC. Now we’ve got two, back-to-back on a weekend. It’s unheard of, you know? It’s crazy.”
Nolan, a winner of five straight, had originally accepted to face Moicano at UFC 331 on a week’s notice following the withdrawal of Brian Ortega. Nolan says Moicano’s team requested more time to prepare for the surging 26-year-old, and it has led to their faces being on a poster.
“Big Train” believes saying yes to Moicano for the September card led to a lot of good fortune.
“I think a combination of I just moved country, me and my missus, we just packed up, we bought a house back home and we had to get that rented out and get our vehicles over, and get all of our clothes and everything to New Zealand, so I think the timing of it is awesome,” Nolan explained. “It’s like, I’ve shown that I’m all in on this, and I want to be the best, at least the best version of myself as I can be. And then two months later, I’m rewarded with a main event against a veteran, someone I’ve watched my whole career.
“So I’d be silly to not take it and run with it, and not put my best foot forward and, and use this opportunity to show who I am. Because I’m only young. I’ve only been in the UFC for a few years. Everyone knows who he is. He’s been around forever. It’s a great opportunity for me, the timing couldn’t be better.”
Moicano is coming off of an impressive second-round finish over Chris Duncan in the main event of UFC Vegas 115, snapping Duncan’s four-fight win streak.
Nolan is well aware of the task at hand against a dangerous veteran like Moicano, and while he believes he’s playing with house money, he is quite confident he has a lot more to gain than lose this Saturday.
“Puts me smack bang right in the middle of the top 10, which is a beautiful position for a 26-year-old to be in,” Nolan said. “I think I gain nothing but experience, and it just puts me one step closer to my goal. I’ve got nothing to lose, man.
“I’m coming in here, seriously, to do some damage and to win this fight. And I want to do it in very impressive fashion.”
