Sometimes, just winning isn’t good enough.
UFC bantamweight Taylor Lapilus found that out the hard way when he was released amidst a massive sweep of the promotion’s roster on Thursday, February 27, per UFC Roster Tracker.
The UFC parted ways with nine fighters across multiple divisions.
Despite a 21-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the UFC—including a current two-fight win streak—Lapilus, 32, is no longer a part of the promotion’s roster.
BJ Penn’s Josh Evanoff took to X to voice his displeasure with Lapilus’ release. “Taylor Lapilus is a horrifically bad cut. Jesus.”
Several fans commented: “What?”
Another said: “Winning record on both of his runs, still let go again. Weird.”
Lapilus was one of several fighters released as part of the roster changes. Former bantamweight mainstay Cody Stamann, along with Josh Culibao, Jonathan Pearce, and Julio Arce, were also among those let go. The UFC has not provided an official statement on the reasoning behind these moves.
Lapilus returned to the UFC in 2023 after a seven-year absence, securing a win over Caolan Loughran in a home game of sorts at UFC Paris. The French crowd was firmly behind their guy, but clearly that wasn’t enough to keep him on the roster.
Lapilus is just 32, so his MMA career is far from over and he looked strong during his last outing. It will be interesting to see where he lands. Lapilus could be an excellent signing for the Professional Fighters League.
The promotion generated some strong viewership in France with Cedric Doumbe and Lapilus would be a great addition to the next card in Paris.
Up Next For the UFC
Here’s a look at the next two UFC cards beginning with an updated look at UFC Vegas 103 after complications at the weigh-in cost the card two fights.
UFC Vegas 103
Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
Main Card: 7:00 PM ET | Prelims: 3:30 PM ET
Main Card (7:00 PM ET)
- Flyweight Bout: Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev
- Middleweight Bout: Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez
- Lightweight Bout: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics
- Featherweight Bout: William Gomis vs. Hyder Amil
- Welterweight Bout: Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson
Preliminary Card (3:30 PM ET)
- Heavyweight Bout: Austen Lane vs. Mário Pinto
- Featherweight Bout: Ricardo Ramos vs. Chepe Mariscal
- Bantamweight Bout: Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. John Castañeda – Canceled
- Featherweight Bout: Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva
- Women’s Flyweight Bout: Andrea Lee vs. JJ Aldrich
- Flyweight Bout: Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan Temirov
- Women’s Flyweight Bout: Montana De La Rosa vs. Luana Carolina – Canceled
UFC 313
- Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Main Card: 10:00 PM ET | Prelims: 8:00 PM ET | Early Prelims: 6:00 PM ET
Main Card (10:00 PM ET)
- Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Alex Pereira (C) vs. Magomed Ankalaev
- Lightweight Bout: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
- Lightweight Bout: Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
- Women’s Strawweight Bout: Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
- Lightweight Bout: King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy
Preliminary Card (8:00 PM ET)
- Heavyweight Bout: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
- Middleweight Bout: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
- Welterweight Bout: Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal
Early Preliminary Card (6:00 PM ET)
- Featherweight Bout: Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
- Middleweight Bout: Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz
- Flyweight Bout: Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya
UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2
- Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
- Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Main Card: 7:00 PM ET | Prelims: 4:00 PM ET
Main Card (7:00 PM ET)
- Middleweight Bout: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze
- Welterweight Bout: Chidi Njokuani vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
- Featherweight Bout: Choi Seung-woo vs. Kevin Vallejos
- Lightweight Bout: Alexander Hernandez vs. Kurt Holobaugh
- Bantamweight Bout: Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Gibson
- Bantamweight Bout: You Su-young vs. AJ Cunningham
Preliminary Card (4:00 PM ET)
- Heavyweight Bout: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ryan Spann
- Strawweight Bout: Stephanie Luciano vs. Sam Hughes
- Light Heavyweight Bout: Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Brendson Ribeiro
- Bantamweight Bout: Carlos Vera vs. Josias Musasa
- Flyweight Bout: Daniel Barez vs. Andre Lima
- Bantamweight Bout: Josiane Nunes vs. Priscila Cachoeira
- Lightweight Bout: Evan Elder vs. MarQuel Mederos
- Flyweight Bout: Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice
