Overview
- Nolan defeated Fares Ziam by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC Vegas 118 on Saturday after using early takedowns and sustained top control to win two of three rounds.
- The loss snapped Ziam’s six-fight win streak and extended Nolan’s winning run to five, giving the Australian his best win since rebounding from a 2024 UFC debut knockout defeat.
- Oddsmakers had heavily favored Ziam before the fight, with FanDuel listing him around -320 and Nolan around +245, making Nolan’s result a clear betting upset.
- Beating the No. 14-ranked Ziam is expected to move Nolan into the UFC lightweight top 15 and immediately sparked his callout of veteran Renato Moicano as a next test.
- Ziam posted a brief social-media message promising to come back stronger, and the result leaves both fighters facing short-term choices: Nolan seeks ranked opponents and Ziam must rebuild his path back up the division.