The Rookies: UFC Fight Night 234

Ultimate Fighting Championship talent evaluators think highly of Tom Nolan. Look no further for proof than the degree of difficulty associated with his first assignment in the promotion.

The 23-year-old Australian prospect will put his undefeated record on the line when he makes his organizational debut opposite Nikolas Motta as part of the UFC Fight Night 234 undercard this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Nolan cut his teeth on the Xtreme Fighting Championships and Eternal MMA regional circuits, then answered the call to compete for a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. “Big Train” did not shy away from the spotlight—he basked in it—as he needed just 83 seconds to punch out Bogdan Grad on Aug. 8. A concussive left hook did the damage.

Afterward, the 6-foot-3 Nolan deemed himself fit for primetime.

“Like I’ve said from the beginning, I think I could hang in the Top 15 right now quite easily,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “In saying that, I want to get experience, as well, and I want to get paid. I would like to build my way up, knock a few people out and do it properly.”

Easily the most accomplished and experienced opponent Nolan has faced to this point, Motta competed on Season 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil,” struck gold in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships promotion and made his way to the UFC through DWCS in 2020. The Xtreme Couture rep last appeared at UFC Fight Night 232, where his encounter with Trey Ogden resulted in a no contest due to a premature stoppage on Nov. 18.

For his part, Nolan sees nothing but opportunity when he looks at the UFC’s deep and talented 155-pound weight class.

“I want to fight everyone,” he said.

Two other Octagon rookies are set to join Nolan on the prelims, as Jean Silva faces Westin Wilson in a three-round featherweight affair and Felipe Bunes meets Joshua Van in a three-round flyweight tilt.

Silva, 29, steps in as a short-notice substitution for Gabriel Santos. The Fighting Nerds representative has rattled off eight consecutive victories, seven of them finishes. He last fought on Week 5 of DWCS on Sept. 5, when he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Kevin Vallejos. By the time Silva enters the cage, more than 2,000 days will have passed since his most recent defeat.

Bunes, meanwhile, sits at 13-6 and answers the call to arms on the heels of back-to-back wins. The 34-year-old Pitbull Brothers export has not suited up since he captured the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight championship at LFA 149, where he cut down Yuma Horiuchi with punches in the first round of their Jan. 6, 2023 confrontation. Bunes boasts 10 finishes among his 13 career victories, eight of them by submission.