LAS VEGAS – Farid Basharat beat Taylor Lapilus with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 234 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Basharat, who swept the judges scorecards and stayed unbeaten.
Farid Basharat vs. Taylor Lapilus
Result: Farid Basharat def. Taylor Lapilus via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Updated records: Basharat (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), Lapilus (19-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC)
Key stats: Basharat landed five takedowns and had nearly seven minutes of control time.
Basharat on the fight's key moment
“It was pretty much how I thought it would be, to be honest. I was telling my brother backstage it was kind of like a simulation. We’ve been doing all these simulations in camp, and it was like that, but obviously higher intensity.”
Basharat on big opportunities
“For me, every fight is life and death. It doesn’t matter if it’s end of the year, beginning of the year. Every fight is my most important fight. The last 12 weeks of my life, I dedicated to this fight nonstop. I think it kind of showed in the fight. I put on a crazy pace in there and I was ready for every single puzzle that Lapilus put in front of me. I really take this serious.”
Basharat on what he wants next
“I don’t have a idea of who I want to fight next. Let it be a step up. But regardless, it doesn’t matter who it is. I’m constantly improving so much. I’m never worried about who it’s going to be next. I’m just worried about improving myself when I get there. … I’d love to have at least another two more (fights in 2024). That would make sense. If I could be ranked by the end of the year, that would be nice. That’s what I’m working toward.”
To hear more from Basharat, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
