Tom Nolan addresses potential UFC showdown with fellow Aussie Quillan Salkilld
Tom Nolan opens up about a potential UFC matchup with fellow Australian Quillan Salkilld, revealing that the two have already discussed the possibility.
Australian MMA fighters have been creating buzz in the UFC in recent times, with Alexander Volkanovski leading the way for the country. He has arguably cemented himself as the greatest featherweight of all time after defending his title by knocking out the then-undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 this past Saturday.
Two other top Australian fighters who have delivered great performances and earned significant fan bases are lightweights Tom Nolan and Quillan Salkilld. Last Saturday, Volkanovski headlined a UFC event, and this weekend, another Australian, Nolan, is set to headline UFC Fight Night 292 against Renato Moicano.
Before that, Nolan has answered whether he ever plans to fight fellow Aussie Salkilld, who competes in the same division. A matchup could eventually become a possibility.
Tom Nolan prefers not to fight Quillan Salkilld
During a recent interview with Full Send MMA, Nolan was asked whether he and Salkilld had discussed the possibility of fighting each other in the UFC. The Australian revealed that they have trained together and already discussed avoiding a potential matchup.
“Yeah, we've trained together and we spoke about like, you know, like not fighting each other. Yeah, like I think we're both big boys, we could both end up going to welterweight, you know, trying for double champ status. But yeah, you know, he's Aussie, he's a legend, he's a really good fighter and yeah, we're boys, it's cool,” Nolan said.
When asked whether that meant he would completely rule out fighting Salkilld, Nolan made his preference clear.
“I mean, yeah, on my end, I would prefer not to fight any Aussie for sure, 100%. Yeah, I believe it's the same on his end too,” Nolan added.
Check out Tom Nolan’s comments below:
Nolan is riding a five-fight win streak and has suffered just one loss in his UFC career. Meanwhile, Salkilld has had a dream run in the promotion. He is undefeated in the UFC, riding a six-fight win streak and having finished his last four opponents in the first round. A potential win in his next bout could put him right in the title shot discussion.
Quillan Salkilld and Tom Nolan eye major breakthroughs in the UFC lightweight division
Salkilld has finished two of the biggest names in the lightweight division, Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot, in his last two fights, and a victory over Benoit Saint Denis in the UFC Sydney headliner in February could cement him as next in line for the lightweight title.
Meanwhile, with a victory over Moicano this Saturday, Nolan would earn a position among the top 10-ranked lightweights.
