June 7, 2026, 8:30 p.m. ET
LAS VEGAS – Tom Nolan is taking an opposite approach to Renato Moicano’s callouts, and that is ask the promotion for a tough fight.
Nolan (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), a rising prospect at 155 pounds, called out Moicano following his latest feat in the octagon. Nolan took the time of his in-cage, post-fight interview after his unanimous decision over Fares Ziam (18-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 278 to shoot his shot with the Brazilian.
“I think Ziam was a really good challenge for me in the sense that it made me nervous. It was a hard fight,” Nolan said after his win at the Meta APEX. “I want another fight like that. All respect, not so easy money, ‘Money’ Moicano: That’s a tough fight. I’m young enough. I’m 26. If I come out here and lose, the amount of wealth it will take from that (would be big). But I come out here and win, I’m looking at a top five.”
After the fight, speaking with reporters at the UFC Fight Night 278 post-fight press conference, Nolan elaborated in the reason for his callout.
“I respect him so much. I think he’s awesome,” Nolan said. “I’ve studied him a lot. I studied his fight against (Benoit Saint Denis) for my last fight. I took some stuff that he works. He does a really good job of getting the body triangle and essentially forcing his hips to face the earth while his opponent does whatever they want underneath, and he just smashes them. I think he’s great. I’ve been watching him since I was a child. It’s nothing but respect. I love that dude. He’s cool.
“I’m back in love with the game and I want to challenge myself. I think that dude has a scary striking skill set, a scary grappling skill set. He’s fought everybody. He’s awesome. He’s great. Why not fight someone like that? Why not go out there and prove myself right once again?”
