Tom Pagliarulo overcomes fear, earns UFC contract at DWCS 2026 Week 1

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.

‘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.”

GNP gets the job done 💪

Tom Pagliarulo earns the first finish of #DWCS S10!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/5AkTat5vp4— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 12, 2026

TOMMY P is in the UFC 🤩

Tom Pagliarulo is signee #2 of S10 of #DWCS!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/WomRdRyzuK— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 12, 2026