PARIS – Taylor Lapilus could be forgiven by most for wondering just what happened in his first stint in the UFC.
The French bantamweight won three of his first four fights in the promotion, including a stoppage. But after his win over Leandro Issa in September 2016, he eventually found himself outside the UFC looking to get back.
Six years later, he made it back – almost. A year ago, he was set for his return at the UFC’s debut event in Paris, but had to pull out with an injury. This week, he got a scare when Muin Gafurov pulled out of their bout in Paris, but after a shuffle, Lapilus (18-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will fight Caolan Loughran (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
But now, nearly seven years after he most recently made a UFC walk, he’ll do it again – even if he still doesn’t understand why a 3-1 run led to his release. At 7-1 since then, including an Ares FC bantamweight title, Lapilus might prefer to let his performance do the talking Saturday.
Lapilus talked about that and more at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 226 media day in Paris.
Check out the full interview in the video above. UFC Fight Night 226 takes place Saturday at Accor Arena and is the UFC’s second visit to France. The event streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.
