2018 Middleweight Champion Louis Taylor (18-4-1) announced he will not be competing in this season’s Professional Fighters League (PFL). Taylor won the inaugural middleweight title last year, scoring the highlight knock out of the night when he finished Abusupiyan Magomedov in just 33 seconds of the first round. Taylor had intended on returning as a welterweight since the 2019 season had eliminated the middleweight division.
Whatever the reasons are for Taylor removing himself from the roster, it seems like it is something personal and out of his control. “Life throws curve balls and I will not be competing this season,” Taylor said on his social media post. He thanked the PFL for the opportunity he was given and said he plans to watch the 2019 season with the rest of fans on ESPN.
Some fans have speculated that Taylor withdrew due to not being able to make weight but he has fought at welterweight before in his career back in 2014. Taylor along with the other finalists and champions from the 2018 season were part of the first round roster selections. In the PFL, “Making the Cut” feature Taylor commented on the challenge of entering a new season at a lighter weight and said when the roster was announced most of his training would focus on cutting weight. However, weight was not mentioned in his post.
At the time of this posting, the 2019 roster on the PFL website still shows Taylor listed as a welterweight and nothing has been released by the PFL as to whether or not he will be replaced or if they will just move forward with the remaining welterweights. MMA News has reached out to the PFL and will provide an update on how they are moving forward.
Why do you think Taylor withdrew from the 2019 season?
*Update: The PFL released a statement to ESPN that said Taylor was removed from the 2019 season, “due to his inability to be licensed by the state of New York.”
