Cody Stamann, on a three fight skid and 2-6 in his last eight, may not come as a surprise, but Taylor Lapilus exiting the UFC once again, and with a 3-1 record identical to his first stint?
Now that’s a head scratcher.
Seven fighters have been removed from the UFC’s active roster in the past 24 hours and appear to be done with the promotion, UFC Roster Tracker and other services noted on Thursday. In addition to Stamann and Lapilus, Matthew Semelsberger, Mashrabjon Ruziboev, Jonathan Pearce, Julio Arce, and Josh Culibao are also gone from the promotion.
In the case of Lapilus, a French fighter who is 6-2 overall through two stints with the company, the move is downright puzzling. Lapilus went 3-1 under the UFC banner from 2015 to 2016, and was a released off a win (or simply not re-signed), going on to find success with ARES FC.
After winning the ARES bantamweight championship in 2022, Lapilus made a triumphant return to the UFC as part of the promotion’s return to Paris in September of 2023. This second four-fight stint saw the French star earn wins over Caolan Loughran, Vince Morales, and Cody Stamann. He’s currently on a two-fight win streak, but nevertheless appears to be on the outs with the UFC for the time being.
Fans were not happy with Taylor Lapilus situation.
While Lapilus has now had eight fights in the UFC, Mashrabjon Ruziboev had zero. He was briefly linked to a fight with Jared Gordon this month, but withdrew due to issues with his weight cut.
Matthew Semelsberger, a.k.a. “Semi the Jedi,” started his UFC run 4-1, but ends it on a four-fight skid with a record of 5-6 overall inside the octagon. As for Jonathan Pearce, the once-promising featherweight was on a three-fight skid, and 5-4 overall in the promotion.
