Kayla Harrison Will Now Headline First PFL Event On ESPN+
The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) has rejected Louis Taylor’s medical clearance to compete at 170 pounds.
Taylor won the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) middleweight season last year and took home the accompanying million dollar prize. However, the PFL removed the division this year to make room for Kayla Harrison and the women’s 155-pound division.
Still, Taylor was going to make the grueling gut down to 170 pounds just to have the opportunity to compete for another massive payday. He was scheduled to headline the first PFL event of the season May 9 against Chris Curtis in Uniondale, N.Y., which airs on ESPN+.
The final fight of the night will now be Kayla Harrison vs. Svetlana Khautova, according to PFL officials (via ESPN).
“Louis Taylor has been removed from the 2019 PFL season roster due to his inability to be licensed by the state of New York,” the PFL wrote in a statement.
“Louis was a great representative of the PFL during his run to the 2018 middleweight title and the League is grateful for his contribution to the PFL.”
The 39-year-old Chicago native didn’t give any more information on the matter, feeling that the PFL statement was adequate for now.
“I’ll leave it there,” Taylor told ESPN. “I’m not really commenting on it publicly.”
He did, however, drop an Instagram post thanking the PFL.
View this post on InstagramPSA: Thank You So Much @pflmma @sugarraysefo for giving me the chance to compete 2018 & 2019 unfortunately Life throws curve balls and I will not be competing this season. I’ve searched my entire career for a home in MMA so I’ll be watching as a fan Next Thursday May 9th. PFL on ESPN is Going to be Amazing!
Taylor took home the million dollar prize on New Years eve right there in New York. Either something has changed in his medical profile or the NYSAC has much stiffer regulations for welterweights.
“Mr. Taylor did not meet NYSAC minimum medical requirements to compete,” New York State Department of State spokesperson Lee Park said in an email statement (via ESPN’s Marc Raimondi). “We have no further comment on the matter.”
For his part, Taylor has remained as classy as he can be.
“I’m not trying to distract from this PFL season, especially right now,” Taylor said. “I don’t really want to speak on it until the season is going. I don’t want to distract from this inaugural event they got going. It’s gonna be a great season. I don’t want to cast any negativity their way. I want PFL to get everything they’re trying to build towards. They gave me a platform.”
