UFC Fight Night 226 Prelims: Taylor Lapilus Triumphs in Long-Awaited Return to Octagon

Taylor Lapilus was not going to let anyone ruin his fairytale return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

A crisp jab, clean combinations and stout takedown defense carried the respected French bantamweight to a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Caolan Loughran in the featured UFC Fight Night 226 prelim on Saturday at a raucous Accor Arena in Paris. In his first Octagon appearance since 2016, Lapilus (19-3, 4-1 UFC) carried all three cards with 29-28 scores.

Loughran (8-1, 0-1 UFC) had considerable difficulty navigating a five-inch reach deficit. The former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder secured takedowns in the first and second rounds, only to see avenues to create offense dry up in a hurry. Lapilus stayed upright enough to handle business, firing away with jabs and surgical left hands to cruise to the checkered flag.

Meanwhile, Kill Cliff Fight Club rep Ange Loosa banked two rounds and held on for a unanimous decision over former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion Rhys McKee in a three-round welterweight confrontation. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28—all for Loosa (10-3, 2-1 UFC).

McKee (13-5-1, 0-3 UFC) struggled to deal with the pace the Dana White’s Contender Series alum brought to bear. Loosa overwhelmed the Irishman with high-volume striking and repeated takedowns. He did his best work in Round 2, where he climbed to full mount, applied his ground-and-pound and made McKee pay once he returned to his feet, unleashing a devastating burst of punches that resulted in significant facial damage. Loosa struck for two takedowns in the third period, but his pace slowed noticeably. The resilient McKee refused to go away. He had Loosa reeling with punches at one point late in the bout, hacked open a cut beneath Congo native’s left eye with a wicked a standing elbow and even connected with a flying knee. None of it was enough to slam the door on Loosa.

The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for McKee.

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Elsewhere, Free Fight Academy product Nora Cornolle leaned on a punishing clinch, superior standup and opportunistic scrambles, as she took a unanimous decision from onetime King of the Cage titleholder Joselyne Edwards in a three-round women’s bantamweight tilt. All three judges sided with Cornolle (7-1, 1-0 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Edwards (13-5, 4-3 UFC) completed multiple takedowns, a majority of them via head-and-arm throws, and compiled some control time but failed to offer anything of substance by which to remember her. Cornolle lured her into the clinch repeatedly, battering the Panamanian with elbows and knees at close range. Edwards progressed to the back in the third round, anchored herself with hooks and threatened with a rear-naked choke, but her inability to finish proved costly once the dust had settled.

Cornolle, 33, has rattled off seven consecutive victories.

Further down the undercard, Xtreme Couture’s Farid Basharat put away former Jungle Fight champion Kleydson Rodrigues with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of their bantamweight encounter. The undefeated Basharat (11-0, 2-0 UFC) brought it to a close 4:15 into Round 1.

Rodrigues (8-3, 1-2 UFC) connected with a slapping head kick inside the first 90 seconds but proved ineffective otherwise. Basharat executed a takedown midway through the first round, climbed to half guard and cut loose with elbow-laced ground-and-pound. He then framed the choke methodically, cleared his legs and let his squeeze do the rest.

It was the third first-round finish of Basharat’s career.

Finally, Reborn Fight Team prospect Jacqueline Cavalcanti (6-1, 1-0 UFC) outstruck and outmaneuvered Zarah Fairn (6-6, 0-4 UFC) to a unanimous decision in their three-round clash at a 140-pound catchweight, drawing 30-27 marks from all three judges.