Rising Australian lightweight Tom Nolan has declared he will announce himself to the wider UFC world with an eye-catching performance in Sydney early next year, after he was added to the UFC 312 card alongside countryman Jack Jenkins.
With a newly minted four-fight UFC contract in his back pocket, Nolan has set course for Qudos Bank Arena on Feb. 9 when he plans to showcase his growing MMA arsenal in the pursuit of a third straight win.
Nolan has been pitted against a fellow graduate from Dana White's Contender Series in Viacheslav Borshchev, the man known as "Slava Claus", and while the Australian acknowledges he can't match his Russian opponent for experience, he is adamant this will be the fight that catapults his career to a new level.
"Everyone knows 'Slava', he's been around for a while, this is his [eighth] fight with the company, including Contender Series," Nolan told ESPN.
"He's entertaining and people know him, so I go out there and put him away or have a war with him, have a super entertaining fight, everyone gets to know who I am.
"I just signed a new contract two days ago, a fight-deal contract -- so I beat Slava, I beat him the way I see myself beating him, I beat someone else next year maybe in the top 30 or top 20, then I think I set myself up to open 2026 with a top 15 fight, if all goes well."
Nolan was last inside the Octagon at UFC 305 in Perth, where he dismantled Alex Reyes in a comprehensive unanimous decision victory. That result extended his professional career to 8-1 and while he would have loved the finish in Perth, Nolan said going the distance had allowed him to further expand his skill set.
"Old mate definitely came to fight, which was good," Nolan said, "Pretty tough, he had a lot of movement, he had a game plan to go out and not get finished; I think his last two were pretty bad finishes. I think he honestly knew he wasn't going to beat me, but he had a pretty good game plan to stay away from me.
"There was a moment when I hurt him pretty bad and I came close to finishing him, but it was all experience for me, time on the clock; staying more patient was a big one for that fight. And I think it gives me pieces of the puzzle now to add to my style to have a patient, finishing game.
"I think it [taught] me to not overexpose myself, to not rush things; it's given me a nice taste of sitting back, picking my shots better, and to really start putting people to sleep dangerously."
Having a four-fight UFC deal locked away is a relief for any fighter, but Nolan hasn't wasted any time enjoying his newfound career security.
He believes, in fact, that he has what it takes, both inside and outside of the Octagon, to be a bona-fide UFC star.
"It does [give security], but I also know the way I fight, my style, is what the UFC is looking for," he told ESPN. "And I'm only 24, I'm young, I'm Aussie, I speak well and I've got the style, so I think regardless results of my next few fights -- as long as they're not horrific -- I think the UFC keep me around and build me.
"But I try not to think about that stuff too much, all I think about is the fight in front of me. And I think this is the fight that is really going to put me on the map.
"I haven't stopped [since UFC 305]. I've been in the gym every single day since. I actually had a really good suspicion this fight was one of the fights that would be brought forward -- my management had asked for this fight a few times -- so I've been preparing for this for a while now, even if it's sub-consciously.
"But I've got a lot of new tricks I've been working on and I'm really excited [to showcase them]."
And how will he put himself on the UFC map in Sydney then?
"I see it being a second-round finish in my favour."