Tom Pagliarulo Discusses Colorado Camp Move

Tom Pagliarulo’s Dana White’s Contender Series opportunity arrives after a period that has mixed competition, training and a major change at home. In August 2025, Pagliarulo made his PFL debut in Atlantic City and finished Matt Turnbull with a knee to the body inside one round. He had an indication that a Contender Series call could come, but understood it might not happen quickly. With a possible short-notice fight also in mind, he returned to training. That work unfolded alongside a move across the country from Massachusetts to Colorado, a decision Pagliarulo said was meant to give him a different environment as he pursued his goals.

The relocation did not come from dissatisfaction with the people who had helped Pagliarulo reach this stage. He credited New England Cartel, saying he had great coaches and training partners there and that he loves his coaches back home. His concern was consistency in the training room. Pagliarulo explained that the number of available partners could sometimes run slim, a situation that felt more significant as he believed he could be close to fighting in the UFC. He wanted greater confidence in the group around him while continuing to prepare. His former coaches supported the experiment, encouraging him to see whether another setting could help him reach the goals he wanted to reach.

A move built around preparation

Pagliarulo said he had been doing the sport for about 10 years and viewed a change of scenery as something that could help both his mind and body. His move to Colorado began with a visit in January, when he traveled there with his wife for a month. During that stay, he trained, liked the area and signed a lease. His wife then returned to Massachusetts to finish matters at home. Pagliarulo went back with her before returning to Colorado a week later so he could stay ready and keep training. That sequence is a useful chronology for understanding the camp change. The move was made while Pagliarulo was still waiting for clarity on a Contender Series appearance and remaining available should a short-notice opportunity appear. His PFL finish had given him momentum, but he did not treat the possibility of a call as a reason to pause. Instead, he continued the work that he believed would leave him prepared regardless of when an opening developed. Colorado offered Pagliarulo a fresh set of people and routines without changing his respect for the camp he left. He described the appeal as a new fire and a bigger push, not an attempt to dismiss the foundation built at New England Cartel. The adjustment was about finding a setting where he felt refreshed and where the room could provide the consistency he wanted at this point in his career. That is the central context behind the move: a fighter trying to add confidence and competitive pressure while keeping himself ready for the opportunity he hoped would come.

Pagliarulo identified the talent around him as part of the value of his new environment. He mentioned Cory Sandhagen and Justin Gaethje when explaining the kind of push he sought in Colorado. He also pointed to new minds, a new process and a new culture. Those details make clear that he was looking for more than a new address. He wanted a daily training setting that could challenge him and help him feel renewed. His comments also preserve an important distinction. Pagliarulo said he could have pursued this path back home, and he repeatedly praised the coaches and partners who had helped him. The move was not framed as a claim that his previous camp lacked quality. It was a choice to try another environment after years in the sport, especially when he wanted to be more confident in the depth and consistency of the room. The support of his former coaches helped make that transition possible. The reader-value takeaway is the confirmed path to this moment: a PFL debut and body-knee finish in Atlantic City, continued training while a Contender Series call remained uncertain, a January Colorado visit that led to a lease, and a return to Colorado to keep preparing. That timeline explains why the camp change is part of the story of Pagliarulo’s Contender Series appearance rather than a last-minute adjustment.

Pagliarulo targets a disciplined finish

Pagliarulo now faces Ananias Mulumba on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series with a UFC contract at stake. He said he feels he has the edge and, if he had to gamble on himself, he would pick a knockout. That confidence is supported by the record he stated: 10-2 with eight knockouts. Still, Pagliarulo did not describe a reckless search for an early stoppage. His stated plan is to fight Mulumba with discipline for 15 minutes. He said that when he has fought that way in the past, knockouts have come. The approach combines his preference for a finish with the patience he believes is necessary to produce one. That record and plan are the second reader-value element in the report. Pagliarulo’s own account provides both the measurable context for his finishing confidence and the tactical idea he wants to apply: stay disciplined across the full scheduled duration, then allow the knockout to come through the work. His earlier finish of Turnbull, achieved inside one round with a knee to the body, is the recent result that preceded this opportunity. The Week 1 card airs Tuesday at 7pm EST on Paramount+. Pagliarulo’s bout with Mulumba brings his Colorado preparation, his recent PFL result and his stated finishing ambition onto the Contender Series stage.

• Pagliarulo made his PFL debut in Atlantic City in August 2025, finishing Matt Turnbull with a knee to the body inside one round.
• A January month-long Colorado visit led Pagliarulo and his wife to sign a lease, after which he returned to Colorado to keep training.
• Pagliarulo says his goal against Ananias Mulumba is a disciplined 15-minute performance, while believing a knockout can follow.

Pagliarulo’s path to Week 1 has included a forceful PFL debut, continued preparation while he waited for an opportunity, and a move from Massachusetts to Colorado. He has been clear that the relocation was not a break from the people who developed him at New England Cartel. It was an effort to find a refreshed environment, more consistent numbers in the room and a bigger daily push. Against Mulumba, Pagliarulo says he intends to pair knockout confidence with a disciplined approach over 15 minutes. His stated 10-2 record, including eight knockouts, gives context to that outlook. The Contender Series fight is the chance he has been preparing for as he pursues a UFC contract.

Sources: Cageside Press