Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at Taylor Lapilus as he takes on Taiwan’s Rocky Lee at UFC Fight Night 64 in Krakow, Poland. Taylor “Double Impact” Lapilus Hometown: Paris, France Age: 22 Height: 5’6” Reach: N/A Weight Class: Featherweight Camp: Crossfight MMA Career Record: 8-1 Key Wins: None Key Losses: Magomed Bibulatov Background The 22-year old Taylor Lapilus is one of the few fighters from France to ever be signed to a UFC contract. Lapilus is an exciting striker with a strong kickboxing background. He’s fun to watch, but is entering the UFC with limited experience. Strengths
- Good athlete
- Improving striker
- Solid footwork and movement
- Transitions well on the ground to gain superior transitions
- Underrated submission game
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t have the power in his hands to finish opponents with strikes
- Can too easily be pushed against the cage
- Terrible takedown defense
- Shown very little ability to get fights to the ground
Matchup with Rocky Lee It’s hard to imagine that a 22-year old fighter would enter his UFC debut as a more experienced fighter than his opponent, but in this case Lapilus absolutely is the more experienced fighter. Lee has only fought three times in his career and hasn’t appeared in the cage since August 2013 other than his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter: China. Lapilus is a good athlete with an improving striking game. He’s still a bit green at this point, but he should have the advantages in the stand up with quicker hands and better footwork than his opponent. Where this fight gets interesting is on the ground. While Lee’s opposition thus far in his career is lacking, he has shown some ability to wrestle and advance positions on the ground. Lapilus really struggles to defend takedowns and could be forced to his back for portions of this fight. Given each fighter’s level of competition thus far in their career, Lapilus should be able to reverse positions on the ground at times to mitigate Lee’s offensive wrestling. Combining that with an advantage in the stand up, Lapilus should get his hand raised more often than not. More importantly, this is a fight to sit back, watch, and learn as I expect each guy to have at least a couple fights inside the Octagon. UFC Ceiling Taylor Lapilus is one of the youngest fighters currently in the UFC. He turns 23 during fight week of UFC Fight Night 64. He’s amassed an 8-1 record thus far in his MMA career with his only loss against blue chip prospect Magomed Bibulatov. Lapilus has shown improved striking his last couple fights. He’s done better to strike in combination and mix in leg kicks into his attack. He can either strike moving forward or be patient and work as a counterstriker. Nearly all of his victories have come via submission; however he has struggled to get fights to the canvas on his own accord. He relies on opponents to take him to the ground where he does well to transition into attacking positions. In the UFC, this strategy simply won’t work. When forced to face experienced wrestlers, he won’t be able to transition as easily and will be on his back for the majority of a three round fight. In order to have a prolonged career in the UFC, he will need to make significant improvements in both his offensive and defensive wrestling. Otherwise, I don’t see him having more than a couple of fights inside the Octagon despite a decent overall technical skill set. Fight Film Check out Taylor Lapilus in some of his recent fights: Taylor Lapilus vs. Osman Mibatirov
Taylor Lapilus vs. Magomed Bibulatov