UFC has parted ways with six fighters recently, although one of the departures has left French MMA fans shocked.
Taylor Lapilus was removed from the UFC roster this week despite putting together a positive run of three wins and one loss in the promotion since 2023.
He left the promotion along with Cody Stamann, Joshua Culibao, Jonathan Pearce, Matthew Semelsberger and Mashrabjon Ruziboev, as recently confirmed by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.
Lapilus inked a deal with the UFC just over a year ago, getting back into the promotion seven years after his initial run with the brand came to a close. While he dropped an early-2024 decision to Farid Basharat—a contender who remains undefeated—he got past respected vets like Cody Stamann and Vince Morales, plus beat prospect Caolan Loughran.
It’s unclear why Lapilus parted ways with the brand.
Other exiting talents range from highly experienced UFC talents—like Stamann, who competed 15 times in the promotion—to Ruziboev, who never even made it to his first appearance.
Stamann spent numerous years on the UFC roster, first joining the promotion back in 2017 following an impressive regional run of 14 wins and one loss. He was a solid talent at bantamweight for years, overcoming middling or unranked opponents but falling to more elite names like Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, or Jimmie Rivera.
The 35-year-old Xtreme Couture talent’s time in the promotion came to an end after he went on his second-ever three-fight losing streak recently, racking up the losses from 2023 to 2024. A pair of decision losses were followed-up by a first-round submission defeat against Da’Mon Blackshear from November, calling an end to his time in the promotion.
Semelsberger was the second-most experienced UFC name to leave the promotion recently. “Semi The Jedi” joined the UFC roster in 2020 with a small record of just six wins and two losses. While he started with a somewhat strong run of four wins through five appearances—including a pair of sub-minute knockout wins—Semelsberger fell into a slump in 2022 that he hasn’t been able to pull himself out of.
When Semelsberger lost to Charles Radkte in just 51 seconds last November, it marked his fifth loss through his past six fights.
While Pearce went on a run of five straight wins in the early 2020s—beating veteran talents like Darren Elkins and Makwan Amirkhani along the way—he’s parting ways with the promotion after a trio of defeats since late-2023.
Australia’s Culibao, who had been on the UFC roster since early 2020, is leaving after a three straight losses as well, dropping fights to notable featherweights Lerone Murphy and Ricardo Ramos in recent years.
Ruziboev—the brother of current UFC talent Nursulton Ruziboev—was expected to make his debut last month on short-notice against Jared Gordon. However, due to weight cutting issues, he was forced off the card. It now seems his promotional debut is no longer imminent.
Knockdown News 