Preview: UFC on ESPN 57 Prelims

Bantamweights

Taylor Lapilus (19-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. Cody Stamann (21-6-1, 7-5-1 UFC)

ODDS: Lapilus (-270), Stamann (+220)

This should be an engaging scrap between two underrated bantamweights. Stamann wasn’t particularly highly regarded ahead of his late-notice UFC debut in 2017, but “The Spartan” quickly established himself as someone to keep an eye out, grinding out wins over top prospect Tom Duquesnoy and steady veteran Bryan Caraway. After running into Aljamain Sterling and suffering a one-sided loss, Stamann has struggled to regain that momentum, even if he has become a much better fighter in the last few years. Stamann has developed a surprisingly solid striking game after entering the UFC primarily as a wrestler, though he still finds himself at some physical disadvantages. Stocky and short-armed, Stamann simply isn’t much of a finisher as a striker or as a grappler. That leaves him with a small margin of error, particularly in a shark tank like the UFC’s bantamweight division. Even in an impressive performance against Douglas Silva de Andrade in 2023, Stamann couldn’t separate himself on the scorecards and found himself on the losing end of a nip-tuck decision. Lapilus makes for an interesting matchup in a clash of styles and physical attributes. The two are the same height, yet Lapilus has close to a 10-inch advantage in terms of reach. To that end, France’s Lapilus typically makes his hay as a rangy striker who consistently keeps his opponents at bay, even if that approach also comes with some drawbacks. His January loss to Farid Basharat was a game performance, but continued the trend of wrestling-focused opponents at least being able to eat up a lot of time in neutralizing Lapilus. The read here is that Stamann can lean on his wrestling chops to win rounds, even if a lot of things could go sideways, whether it’s Lapilus’ reach causing Stamann a lot of issues or the American becoming too focused on using his newfound striking skills. It’s a close call, but the pick is Stamann via decision.

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