Las Vegas — France’s “Smile Killer” Fares Ziam has quietly put together one of the better runs at lightweight of late, piling up six straight victories ahead of his return at UFC Vegas 118.
That includes two stoppages including a Performance of the Night-winning finish of Matt Frevola at UFC Paris in September 2024.
Now, with all this momentum building, Ziam (18-4) is fighting Tom Nolan this Saturday. An unranked fighter, one with fewer fights and less time served than Ziam itself. Despite the somewhat puzzling matchmaking, Ziam took it all in stride this week.
“I think everything is about timing, and Tom deserves to fight a ranked opponent also, because he has a lot of a win streak. This division is a little bit like, a lot of people have win streaks, deserve to be at the top,” Ziam explained on Wednesday, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “My time is going to come, but Saturday I’m here to make my mark.”
Australia’s Nolan does have four straight wins himself, and Ziam knows he’s no easy out. “I think he’s a dangerous fighter because he has good skills in striking. He’s been a lot of this, I need to be focused on that, but my eyes will be open on Saturday.”
And while he does have the experience edge, Fares Ziam isn’t putting too much emphasis on it ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
“Sometimes you have a fighter with a lot of experience, and young guys come [in, and are successful]. I have experience, but also I have skills, and I’m very focused.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 118 media day appearance by Fares Ziam above.