Taylor Lapilus

Taylor Lapilus is one of France's most accomplished yet persistently overlooked bantamweights, a 33-year-old journeyman from the Paris-based MMA Factory who has built a 21-4 record through sheer technical competence and refusal to accept defeat. Born in Villepinte and raised in Sevran, Lapilus followed his brother Damien into MMA in 2010 and compiled a strong regional record before the UFC signed him in 2014. His first Octagon stint (2015-2016) proved tumultuous - a solid debut against Rocky Lee was followed by mixed results, and he was released after losses including a unanimous-decision defeat to Erik Perez. Rather than fade, Lapilus spent the next seven years grinding through international promotions across Africa and Europe, capturing the ARES Fighting Championship bantamweight title in 2022 with a devastating first-round TKO of Demarte Pena.

The UFC gave him a second chance in September 2023, and Lapilus responded with three consecutive decision wins over solid opposition (Caolan Loughran, Cody Stamann, Vince Morales), all while facing a ranking-climbing prospect in undefeated Farid Basharat in January 2024. That unanimous-decision loss proved his undoing; the UFC released him again in February 2025. Within weeks, the Professional Fighters League signed him, and Lapilus has thrived, rattling off four straight wins and cracking the PFL's top 5 at bantamweight as of April 2026.

Lapilus fights as a balanced technician rather than a finisher. Having started his martial arts training in grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he later added Muay Thai and even dabbled in boxing (1-0 pro record in 2017). His game leans on a crisp jab, surgical left hand, solid takedown defense, and patient point accumulation; over half his wins come by decision. He is durable, hard to finish, and almost impossible to overwhelm with pressure. What he lacks in headline-grabbing finishes he makes up for in consistency and ring intelligence. For casual fans, Lapilus represents the modern grinder: underrated, resilient, and perpetually fighting to prove his worth at the sport's highest levels despite being passed over twice by the UFC.