Tom Nolan kept his promise to Cory Sandhagen with a knockout to earn UFC contract

Tom Nolan credits Cory Sandhagen’s online course with helping him secure a UFC contract. Before his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in 2023, Nolan messaged Sandhagen and promised to knock out his opponent using one of the techniques he had studied. The Australian lightweight said he delivered on that promise when he finished Bogdan Grad to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.Tom Nolan recalls using Cory Sandhagen's 'dart shot' to knock out Bogdan Grad on Dana White's Contender Series Ahead of his first UFC main event against Renato “Money” Moicano at UFC Vegas 123 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nolan explained how he incorporated Sandhagen’s “dart shot” into his performance. “I messaged Cory before my Contender Series knockout,” Nolan said in a prefight interview. “I was studying his online course. I messaged him, I said, ‘Hey, I’m fighting on Contender Series in two weeks and I’m gonna knock this dude out with one of your techniques.’ And I actually used the dart shot that he teaches.” After earning his contract on DWCS, Nolan (11-1) suffered his only professional defeat in his UFC debut in 2024. He has since won five consecutive fights.Tom Nolan used a technique that he learned from Cory Sandhagen’s online striking course to help secure a UFC contract on DWCS 😅 [ #UFCVegas123 | October 31 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] https://t.co/iRDCSQNbyH— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) October 29, 2026