Tom Nolan and Alex Reyes at the UFC 305 weigh-in. Photo Credit: Youtube/UFC
Tom Nolan, the big-bodied young Australian lightweight boxer, sought and achieved his second UFC victory on home soil when he defeated Alex Reyes at UFC 305 on Saturday.
Nolan suffered an upset knockout loss in his UFC debut but returned to win in his second year in the bout, while Alex Reyes returned to the Octagon more than six years after his debut without a fight. However, Alex, the younger brother of former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes, was knocked out in two consecutive bouts. As a result, Tom Nolan was a huge favorite heading into their clash at UFC 305.
Tom Nolan had his opponent on his back early in the bout, but Reyes timed his blitz, forcing him against the fence and scoring a takedown. Alex transitioned to the back, but couldn’t land a hook. He maintained control for a minute, but when he tried to land another hook, he got too high and fell. Once back on his feet, Nolan’s attacks did a lot of damage, but Reyes again used his grappling to hold Nolan back. Nolan broke free this time, landing an elbow on the break and attacking again. Reyes was able to move to the side to avoid some of the onslaught, but his striking earned him no respect from his opponent, at least not until he caught Tom with a right hand and reconsidered his attack.
At the end of the first round, Alex completed a takedown with a knee, but Nolan fell flat on his back. As he tried to get up, Reyes landed an illegal knee on his grounded opponent. Since Nolan was uninjured in the heated exchange, the referee gave Alex a stern warning instead of awarding him any points.
The second round started aggressively for Nolan, landing a spinning backfist early on that would have knocked out a less sturdy opponent. 90 seconds into the round, a short straight left from the Australian took Alex Reyes to his knees, but Reyes never fully went down. Tom continued his attack, but Alex was recovering relatively well. He must still have been a bit dizzy, and his passivity led to him being pushed up against the fence more often. However, Nolan got too aggressive and was caught in the clinch again. Having escaped, Tom was able to unleash a high-paced attack in the final minute of the round. He landed a deadly combo in the final 20 seconds, forcing Reyes to get on his bike to survive the round.
Tom Nolan, a hulking 6’3″ lightweight, won the third and final rounds almost effortlessly. Reyes mostly just circled around and landed leg kicks, not taking full advantage of his win condition while dropping two rounds. When Alex got aggressive, he was punished. He finally went for a takedown midway through the round, but Nolan blocked it. Tom sprawled out and attempted a Dulce choke. For a second, it looked like he would win, but Reyes held on and got to his feet. With just over a minute left, Alex caught Nolan in the clinch. Tom didn’t escape, but he was pushing his opponent’s head to create space for elbows and inflict damage while Reyes was focused on controlling the offensive dynamo. Alex Reyes started his attack in the final moments, swinging hard until the bell, looking for a slight chance of a knockout.
Once the dust settled, the two fighter patted each other on the back and waited for the verdict, a formality: All three judges gave him the victory, and only one gave him less than three rounds, giving him his first UFC win on home soil.
Official result: Tom Nolan defeats Alex Reyes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
