Tattooed and ripped Aussie, 6ft 3in tall, nicknamed ‘Big Train’, plenty of stoppage victories on his record – but the fact that Tom Nolan is a rising lightweight contender, rather than heavy, is not the only surprising thing about him.
The 26-year-old, from Toowoomba, Queensland, has a mature outlook to life in the Octagon, focusing on performance over the end result.
That mindset was put to his biggest test at UFC Vegas 123 as Nolan beat his childhood “hero” Renato Moicano, who would have rather been seen as the villain, while many saw referee Dan Miragliotta as the real bad guy.
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During fight week ‘Big Train’ made it clear that Moicano, 37, had been one of his MMA inspirations, though the Brazilian was not best pleased, saying: “F*** that, Tom Nolan. I am going to beat your f***ing ass, bro. Stop that s**t. I don’t want compliments, I want money.”
However, after getting his hand raised thanks to a third-round TKO stoppage, Nolan still paid tribute to his opponent.
He said: “To fight and beat a legend like Moicano has been a dream of mine since I was a child. I’m in my dream right now. It’s sick.
“As a kid, I used to sit up at night on YouTube and search, ‘Moicano fun highlights. Moicano interviews’. He’s been a role model for me growing up.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for him. Even if he disrespected me, I’m going to be who I am and he’s someone I respect. I’m proud of myself for beating a hero.”
‘Big Train’ is now on the fast track to the 155lb division’s top 10 after recording his sixth win in a row. And while his final stop is the world title, Nolan is going to enjoy the journey, adding: “I’ve matured through this sport. I’ve won, I’ve lost, I’ve travelled the world doing this and I’m at a point now in my career where I don’t really feel any sort of way towards my opponents.
“My goal isn’t necessarily to win. My goal these days with fighting is to go out there and let the best version of myself fly.
“It’s about if I can go out there and be proud of myself after it, even if I lose.”
The one moment of debate during Nolan’s victory over former title challenger Moicano was the decision by Miragliotta to stand both fighters up in the second round, despite ‘Money’ having back control.
But the Aussie said: “I wasn’t looking for a stand up. I had five rounds to work. If I had lost that round because he was on my back, I was completely comfortable with that. I had nothing to do with the ref standing us up. It’s not my fault.”
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