Farès Ziam Eyes Seventh Straight Win, Ignores Streak Ahead of UFC Fight Night

Farès Ziam is on the longest active winning streak in the UFC lightweight division, but the French contender insists the number means nothing once the cage door closes. Ziam returns to action this Saturday at UFC Fight Night against Australia’s Tom Nolan, aiming to extend his run to seven consecutive victories.

The 29-year-old is coming off a second-round stoppage of Nazim Sadykhov at UFC 323 last December. Despite his position in the rankings and recent finish, Ziam finds himself once again facing an unranked opponent rather than a fellow top-15 lightweight. It’s a familiar spot for the soft-spoken fighter, who has often been bypassed for louder names with larger social media followings.

Training with Champions

After his win over Sadykhov, Ziam made a unique career move. During a dinner with his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, he proposed traveling to Denver, Colorado, to help Justin Gaethje prepare for his interim title fight against Paddy Pimblett. The two lightweights shared no direct connection beyond Abdelaziz, who also manages Gaethje.

Ziam was curious about the training environment at Trevor Wittman’s private facility outside Denver and believed his size and skill set could benefit Gaethje’s camp. Abdelaziz arranged the opportunity, and Ziam spent six weeks in Colorado assisting “The Highlight” ahead of UFC 324.

A Transformative Experience

“It was a great experience for me,” Ziam said. “I learned so many details, so many things; I grew up, and I leveled up.” He praised Wittman’s coaching pedigree and the atmosphere of the gym, comparing it to a miniature UFC Performance Institute. The trip yielded more than just technical development. Following Gaethje’s victory over Pimblett, the newly crowned interim champion publicly endorsed Ziam during his post-fight press conference, calling him a championship-level talent destined to compete with the division’s best.

• Farès Ziam is riding a six-fight UFC winning streak.
• He spent six weeks in Denver training with Justin Gaethje ahead of UFC 324.
• Gaethje publicly praised Ziam as a future title contender after winning interim gold.
• Ziam faces unranked Tom Nolan this Saturday, not a fellow ranked opponent.

The Nolan Challenge

Ziam’s next assignment is Tom “Big Train” Nolan, a 26-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series graduate from Brisbane. Nolan carries a four-fight winning streak of his own into the bout. While Ziam acknowledged he initially hoped for a ranked foe after his last performance, he holds no issue with the matchup.

“After my last fight, I was thinking about a ranked guy, but after I saw a lot of people have fights in my division — all the ranked guys have fights, me no fight, it’s okay to fight Tom,” Ziam explained. “He’s a good guy, good fighter, very dangerous, so I’m focused on that.” The fight represents a critical opportunity for both men. For Nolan, it’s a chance to prove he belongs with ranked competition early in his UFC tenure. For Ziam, it’s a platform to demonstrate he is levels above an ascending prospect and deserves a high-profile opponent next.

Ziam is adamant that his focus remains solely on the task immediately ahead. “First, I beat Tom Nolan, and I focus on that,” he stated. “I’m here to fight Saturday; I’m not here to fight in three months, in Paris, or whatever.” He downplays the significance of his winning streak, viewing each fight as a separate challenge. “When I fight, I don’t think about my win streak,” Ziam said. “For me, each new fight, you need to win; the win streak is the past.” He does have potential callouts in mind should he win, but refuses to look that far ahead, repeating that he must first handle his business on Saturday night.