Undefeated Australian lightweight Tom Nolan has punched his way into the UFC with a devastating left hook KO on the latest season of Dana White’s Contender Series.

A 23-year-old Toowoomba product who once dreamed of playing NRL, Nolan needed just 83 seconds to finish outspoken Austrian rival Bogdan Grad.

In just his sixth professional fight, Nolan dropped Grad in the first round with a huge left hook, then landed so hard again with the same hand on his downed rival, the Austrian’s mouthguard flew out.

So devastating was the finish, UFC commentator Paul Felder described it as “of the most deadly shots I’ve seen in a long time”.

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Unsurprisingly, UFC president Dana White was quick to welcome Nolan to the UFC lightweight division afterwards, describing the Queenslander as “a straight killer”

“Tom Nolan I shouldn’t even have to say anything,” White said when handing out his UFC contracts.

“But I’m gunna.

“Six foot, three, 155 pounds, he’s a straight killer.

“Only 23 years old, the only thing I have to say about this kid is ‘you have a bright future Tom Nolan’.”

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia in the build up to the fight, Nolan had revealed how the more experienced Grad was stalking, and then trashing him on social media with a series of strange Instagram messages.

As a result, and with his rival still out on the canvas, the Aussie jumped up onto the Octagon wall, pointed down at White, shouted “he’s been talking s…”, then made a throat slitting gesture.

Speaking after the win, which also saw Nolan drop Grad with a straight left in the opening exchanges, the Aussie revealed he had envisaged the finish while warming up backstage inside

the UFC Apex Centre, Las Vegas.

“I knew this was going to happen,” he said.

“I saw it happening out the back. I was envisioning it, just throwing that left hand on the pad.

“And it came to fruition.

“And I’m going to keep knocking people out.”

Pushed on the win, he continued: “It felt awesome.

“Especially to do that to an opponent who has been trash talking me for weeks.

“It couldn’t have been better.

“When I was younger, I dealt with some bullying and didn’t stand up for myself.

“Now, that’s not the case.

“If someone wants to do that to me, this is what happens.

“Everyone who talks trash to me gets finished brutally and that was my favourite one so far.”

Watching the finish back while being interviewed backstage by Laura Sanko, he grinned: “Oooow.

“That’s nasty, huh?

“I just want to see it one more time.

“Bink. Out cold.

“That was brilliant.

“My coach Steve Compton has put so much time in with me this camp and I feel like every single time we hit pads I’ve been getting better.

“That power is coming through.

“I’m also working with The Fight Dietician.

“So I feel so good after the week cut. This is my 16th fight and I had never used a dietician before.

“I just bro scienced it.

“Now I feel really solid at lightweight.”

Felder agreed.

“That knockout was perfect – perfect,” he said in commentary of Nolan.

“He was a sniper in there.

“He didn’t need to get wild, he was accurate from distance.

“That left hook, and then the follow up … just look at this, I don’t even want to say anything … it’s one of the most devastating follow up shots I’ve seen in a while.”

Apart from boasting more than twice the professional appearances of Nolan, Grad was also on a run of five straight wins, dubbed himself “a f … ing dog, an unleashed rottweiler” and had spent much of the build-up sledging his Aussie rival online.

“When the fight was first announced, he just went all over my social media,” Nolan told Fox Sports Australia this week.

“Every day, he was on my pages.

“It started with him liking all my photos; I was getting 15 notifications a day where his name just kept popping up.

“Then after that, he started to message me.

“It was really quite strange.

“He was telling me how I don’t have much time left, then sending videos of himself flexing his muscles.

“I just said ‘look man, I’ll see you soon and we both know you’re going to sleep’.”

Which is exactly how it proved.

And how Nolan had predicted for us days earlier.

“I’m here to hurt this guy,” the Aussie had said when asked for a prediction.

“End him in one round — violent knockout.

“I’m coming for the finish and will be disappointed if I don’t get it because people want to see fighters getting knocked out, choked out.

“And I think I excel when it comes to fighting violently.

“I really enjoy hurting people.

“It’s why I’m undefeated as a professional.”

The former Toowoomba Clydesdale’s backrower also revealed how said mindset was formed in 2018, after suffering what would be the sole loss of his 15-fight amateur career.

“I realised after that fight I hadn’t wanted to hurt the guy too badly,” Nolan recounted.

“I’d just wanted to win.

“And that’s not the right attitude to have.

“I was only 17 at the time and I’ve learned a lot since then.

“I realise now, this isn’t a sport. It’s a fight.

“And if you stand across from me in that cage, you’re trying to take my money, my dream, trying to take everything I’m working so hard for.

“That’s why it’s not just about winning and losing now.

“And why I take it personally.

“If you’re standing in my way, you’re in danger.”