Travis Lizotte "Full Contact Writer"
Tom Pagliarulo (1-0) vs. Josh Hardy (Debut)
Featherweight
Age: 24
Fighting out of: Haverhill, Massachusetts
Affiliation: New England Cartel
Record: 1-0 (1 Knockout)
Last fight: Third round TKO (Corner Stoppage) victory over Shawn Stefanelli at CFFC 92. (03/11/21)
“The Skinny”: We have touched on this many times in the past; Pagliarulo is one of the fastest rising prospects in all of New England MMA, with his Wrestling pedigree and ever evolving striking growing leaps and bounds training daily with the New England Cartel, the ceiling on Tom Pags is limitless. Pagliarulo makes his second straight UFC Fight Pass appearance in his CES MMA debut Friday night, as the Haverhill native looks to notch his second professional win at the expense of Vermont’s Josh Hardy. Another dominant win, like his third round corner stoppage drubbing of Shawn Stefanelli at CFFC 92, and Pagliarulo pushes ever closer to his ultimate goal of reaching the UFC and doing so on the regions grandest of stages.
Age: 22
Fighting out of: Bristol, Vermont
Affiliation:
Record: Pro Debut (5-4 as an Amateur)
Last fight: First round Knockout loss to Dylan Bishop at Fight Night Promotions 4. (11/16/19)
“The Skinny”: Bristol, Vermont’s Josh Hardy cut his teeth on the local level in Vermont over the last four years compiling a 5-4 Amateur record most notably for the DonnyBrooke and Fight Night Promotions banners. In Josh’s five career wins three came by way of stoppage, including 1 Knockout and 2 Submissions. Hardy will look to put an end to a current two fight skid when he squares off with far and away his toughest competition to date, in his professional debut Friday night against Tom Pagliarulo at CES 63.
Breakdown: The evolution of Pagliarulo has been a spectacle to behold, the 24 year old Cartel member appears to level up each time he enters the cage, as the competition increases in intensity, Pagliarulo continues to stay one step ahead of that competition. Pags’ level up was easy to notice in his professional debut at CFFC 92 when he beat the brakes off a “too tough for his own good” Shawn Stefanelli for two plus rounds before Stefanelli’s corner threw in the towel in the third round. The Phenom is riding a nearly flawless five fight win streak where he hasn’t so much as lost a round across the last three years, and I envision more of the same from Pagliarulo against Vermont’s debuting Josh “The Hitman” Hardy.
Hardy has been tested on the Vermont circuit but Vermont is a little fish in a big pond when it comes to New England MMA and Pagliarulo could quite easily be one of the most skilled Featherweights in the region if not on the entire east coast. This is not where Pagliarulo's run ends...not at CES 63...not against Josh Hardy...This fight doesn't make it out of the first round, Pagliarulo keeps his run going, in his promotional debut and proves what we had already expected; Pagliarulo is indeed the most exciting Featherweight in the region. I've got Pags taking another step closer to his reservations with the UFC Friday night and earning another dominant win for the World to see; live on UFC Fight Pass at CES 63!
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