Vince Morales confident he will “break” Taylor Lapilus at UFC Paris

Vince Morales wasn’t sure if he would ever fight in the UFC again.

Morales was released from the UFC in January of 2023 and went on to fight in various promotions including RIZIN. Since his release, Morales won five straight fights. Then, as he noticed Taylor Lapilus was still without an opponent at UFC Paris, he asked his manager to try to get him that fight.

“It’s funny. I woke up one morning and saw Tyson Nam share something that Taylor Lapilus’ opponent was still TBA. He was trying to volunteer himself. I hit up my manager and he said no, he had an opponent. I go train, and as I’m getting home, my manager FaceTimes me and asks about my weight. My weight is always good and he told me, we got you back in and you are making a trip out to Paris. Okay, let’s go,” Morales said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com.

Given that Morales took the fight on short notice, he says the small part of training camp he had was focused on himself. But, luckily, Morales was part of Farid Basharat’s camp for his bout against Lapilus, so the American is familiar with him.

“I watched him fight Farid Basharat, I was helping Farid with that camp. I’m pretty familiar, I remember watching that fight and thought that would be someone if they called me back I could see us getting matched back up… We have had more success as of late just focusing on me anyway. It’s mostly that and being aware of a couple of key things like his range and his southpaw tactics.”

Vince Morales vows to finish Taylor Lapilus at UFC Paris

Ultimately, Vince Morales is expecting the first round to be tough against Taylor Lapilus. But, the plan for Morales is to be aggressive and in his face which he believes will break the Frenchman.

“I think the first round will be tense, I plan to be in his face, I plan to get hit a bit in that first round, he is so quick and sharp. But, I think he slows down and after consistent pressure, I think I break him. I think I am the first person to get in there to finish him,” Morales said.

Should Morales get his hand raised, the goal is to get one more fight this year. He also believes a win can get him on the cusp of the top-15.

“It puts me right outside (the top-15), like top 20. He’s a tough dude, it looks great on the resume and lines me up for a couple great fights,” Morales concluded.