Tom
Pagliarulo’s career aspirations are finally coming to
fruition.

Pagliarulo (11-2) took on Ananias
Mulumba in a featherweight clash on Week 1 of
Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. “The Phenom” left it all in
the cage, finishing Mulumba with ground-and-pound in the final
seconds of the fight, earning an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract for his efforts.

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‘Most afraid I’ve ever been’: Tom Pagliarulo details how his
team helped him stay focused ahead of DWCS Week 1

Pagliarulo admits that he was very nervous throughout fight week.
However, his coaches and teammate, UFC bantamweight Cory
Sandhagen, helped him stay dialed in. The 29-year-old is glad
to have finally made it to the biggest stage in MMA, even if it
came a little later than he expected.

“This is the most afraid I’ve ever been in my life, all week,”
Pagliarulo said in his post-fight interview. “My coaches and Cory
Sandhagen back home kept me locked in. Just reminded me to go be
me, and that will always be enough. I’m like a cockroach; you got
to kill me if you want to put me away… I was never the most
talented or naturally gifted kid. Growing up, doing all these
sports, I fell short of all my goals. I was never the starter in
all of those team sports. But I was always the hardest worker in
the room; I kept showing up. My coaches back home told me, ‘You’ve
always had that fire.’”

UFC CEO Dana
White later commended Pagliarulo’s performance before awarding
him a contract.

“Thomas, you were in a dog fight, turned it on in the third round,
and finished a really tough kid,” White said. “Congratulations,
you’re in.”


IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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