Louis Taylor thinks he’s probably the underdog against Abusupiyan Magomedov next week, and he’s fine with that.
Taylor (17-4-1) meets Magomedov (22-3-1) in the $1 million middleweight final of the PFL’s first season. PFL 11 takes place New Year’s Eve at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York and airs on NBCSN.
“Everybody’s high on him, but I’ve been the underdog this entire tournament,” Taylor recently told MMAjunkie Radio. “It wasn’t until recently when people thought, ‘Maybe this kid can win it. For me, it’s nothing new.”
Magomedov advanced to the final with a majority draw against Gasan Umalatov, then a decision over Sadibou Sy on the same night. Taylor had a decision over Rex Harris and a draw with John Howard, but advanced.
Taylor’s fight with Harris wasn’t one he loved, but knowing he had to come back and fight that same night to reach the final meant he could ditch the thoughts of his performance in a hurry.
“Each fight is its own fight, and each fight is the biggest fight of your life,” Taylor said. “I was glad to be able to actually get two fights in in one night. I wasn’t feeling the greatest about my fight with Rex, but I was able to get right back in there against John Howard. I felt good about that quick turnaround so I didn’t have to go home, wait much to fight again, and then get that taste out of my mouth. Now I’m ready to put on an even greater show against Abus Magomedov.”
Taylor said Magomedov, a German who is unbeaten his last 10 fights at 9-0-1, is someone to be reckoned with. At 28, he’ll have 11 years of age advantage over the Chicago-based Taylor, who has fights for Strikeforce, Bellator and WSOF on his resume.
But he said when he beats him, the detractors will start to come around.
“This kid is legit, and I like fighting people who bring out the best in me,” Taylor said. “A lot of times, when I beat people, people say, ‘Oh, that guy must not have been that good.’ So after I beat Abus, I want them to say the same thing … He’s an up-and-coming fighter, but I’m going to show the world what I do. People still haven’t figured me out yet, and that’s the problem.”
Check out the video above for the full interview with Taylor, which starts at the 1:37:50 mark of the show.
And for more on PFL 11, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
from MMAjunkie http://bit.ly/2EOXUQm
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