Taylor Johnson Loves the PFL Format and the Big Numbers that Come with It

The inaugural event of the PFL Challenger Series will feature an eye-catching co-headliner in which Taylor Johnson will lock horns with Alexander Poppeck. After his Bellator MMA stint ended following alternate results, Johnson (7-3, 0-0 PFL) feels ready for a new chapter in his career as “Tombstone” will attempt to join the Professional Fighters League main roster. Johnson will move up to 205 pounds for the occasion, as he believes he already gave everything at middleweight and doesn’t want to put his body through the weight cut again. While talking with Sherdog, he explained why he didn’t think twice when the occasion arose to fight on the PFL Challenger Series.

“I just thought I’d check out the PFL a little bit. I don’t know, I think the million-dollar tournament would also be something cool to fight in,” he said laughing. “I like the style where you get your fights in, you bang them all out, you’re not gonna be sitting there on this long contract waiting for an opponent or an opportunity. I like the format, and obviously big numbers get you excited too.”

Johnson, 31, is trying to make the most out of the years ahead as an MMA fighter. And it seems that PFL’s peculiar format would be optimal for his needs, fighting as much as he can while he still has the youth’s fire burning inside him.

“Early in my career, I had a lot of trouble getting fights for my record, I guess. I was kind of scary, so no one wanted to fight me, but my whole career, I’ve been trying to, you know, fight, fight, fight, fight. It seems to be sometimes three- to six- to nine-month gaps in between my fights, which it’s hard for a guy. Especially if you’re in your prime, you want to use up all your best version of yourself in there. Fighting every nine months, we get five more fights by the time I’m 36. I’m trying to stay busy while I still have my youth.”

Johnson also opened about how the birth of his son has changed his life, he revealed that one of the main reasons he wasn’t resigned by Bellator was his intention to move up a division, and more.

Timestamps:

00:00) Intro
(00:40) Becoming a father
(02:07) Fighting out his Bellator contract
(03:22) His experience with cutting weight
(03:57) Talking with Bellator after the end of his contract
(04:54) Picking PFL and being offered a spot on the PFL Challenger Series
(06:29) His training camp for Poppeck
(08:25) His main sparring partners
(08:55) His contract with PFL
(10:15) Outro

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.