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UFC 305: Tom ‘Big Train’ Nolan reveals he will fight American in first official bout confirmation

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Mitchell WoodcockThe West Australian
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Tom Nolan has revealed he will fight at UFC 305 in Perth.
Camera IconTom Nolan has revealed he will fight at UFC 305 in Perth. Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The first fight for UFC 305 in Perth has been revealed, with Australian Tom “Big Train” Nolan confirming he is going to be on the card in Perth later this year.

Nolan (7-1) has taken to Instagram this week to confirm his lightweight fight against American Alex “The Executioner” Reyes (13-4) at RAC Arena on August 18.

The Queenslander has a 1-1 record in the UFC since earning a contract with an impressive win in the Dana White Contender Series last year.

Nolan lost his first official UFC fight to Nikolas Motta in January but responded earlier this month with a first-round victory over Victor Martinez.

The 24-year-old is set to be one of several Australians on the big card which is rumoured to be headlined by a UFC Middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) and former two-time champion Israel Adesanya (24-3).

Du Plessis hinted at the bout on X (formerly Twitter) in a post earlier this week.

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“I’ve agreed to the opponent and location so what are we waiting for?” Du Plessis wrote.

West Australians Steve Erceg and Jack Della Maddalena are also set to be on the card.

Erceg (12-2) is coming off his close decision loss to flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (28-5) at UFC 301 and will be looking to rebound in front of his home fans.

The man known as “Astro Boy” has previously called out former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno (21-8-2).

Moreno hasn’t fought since February and would be an ideal opponent with the pair looking for another shot at Pantoja.

Della Maddalena (17-2) has already made his intentions clear, wanting to fight undefeated Kazakhstani welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) in Perth.

WA fighter Jack Della Maddalena sporting a cast on his broken arm.
Camera IconWA fighter Jack Della Maddalena sporting a cast on his broken arm. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian

The West Australian is undefeated in the UFC from seven fights, shooting to No.5 in the welterweight rankings, with the winner of a potential bout a step closer to a championship fight against Leon Edwards.

Della Maddalena, 27, is racing the clock to be fit to fight in Perth though, having broken his arm early on in his incredible third-round TKO win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299.

He had surgery on the break, but a subsequent infection has put him back in his preparation.

Della Maddalena’s win over Randy Brown was one of the highlights of UFC 284 at RAC Arena last year.

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