Josiah Taylor FIGHT TALK WITH YOUR BOY THE WHATS NEXT KID interview

In the Josiah Taylor FIGHT TALK WITH YOUR BOY THE WHATS NEXT KID interview, the 20-year-old discussed his November 14 amateur MMA debut at First Rule MMA, his plan for an opponent who describes himself as a pressure boxer with wrestling skills, and why he does not expect a significant cut to 170 pounds. Taylor also explained why he wants at least 10 to 15 amateur fights before turning professional.

What did Josiah Taylor say about his next fight and amateur MMA debut?

Josiah Taylor said his November 14 fight at First Rule MMA will be his first amateur MMA bout, and his opponent’s debut as well. He is excited to compete before what he expects to be a larger audience than he has faced in wrestling, but sees the fight as the beginning of a longer development process.

The November 14 debut

Taylor has competed in wrestling, so performing in front of spectators is familiar. He expects this fight to bring a different level of attention and wants to show an all-around MMA skill set. He said he hopes his opponent has prepared well so they can both bring their best to the bout.

For Taylor, the appeal of MMA is the craft rather than hostility toward another fighter. He described an opponent as someone to compete against, not an enemy, and said he wants a respectful fight. His ambition is to become one of the greatest mixed martial artists, though he views this debut as a first step.

His path toward a professional career

Asked when he would turn professional, Taylor declined to set a timetable. He wants at least 10 to 15 amateur fights before making that move and said the decision should depend on whether he feels ready. At 20, he sees no reason to rush through the experience he hopes to gain as an amateur.

How has Josiah Taylor prepared through wrestling and MMA training?

Josiah Taylor said he has worked on MMA fundamentals and footwork for about four years while developing his wrestling. His preparations for the debut have included consistent weekly training, striking sessions and wrestling practice, as well as an effort to build enough muscle to feel comfortable fighting at 170 pounds.

Immediately before the interview, he had finished striking work with a training partner and expected to go to wrestling practice afterward. He described that day as his last particularly hard training day before the fight. The process, he said, has also taught him more about his body.

Taylor’s college wrestling background is part of what an opponent might expect from him, but he does not want it to define his entire approach. He has spent time improving his boxing combinations and technique, partly because he thinks an opponent who knows about his wrestling may underestimate his striking.

What is Josiah Taylor’s strategy against his First Rule MMA opponent?

Josiah Taylor expects to fight patiently against an opponent he says describes himself as a pressure boxer who can wrestle. Taylor has seen little footage to study, so he has built a loose plan around the information available rather than assuming he knows exactly what will happen in their first amateur bouts.

Preparing without extensive fight footage

Taylor said he watched an interview in which his opponent demonstrated some combinations and was given information about the opponent’s background when he accepted the fight. He understands the opponent to be about 5-foot-11, but has not found much more footage to use. The uncertainty, he said, makes the matchup more exciting because neither man fully knows what to expect.

Picking his spots

As someone who is often the shorter competitor in wrestling and fighting, Taylor said he concentrates on where he can strike without taking a shot in return. He does not intend to charge forward simply to set a fast pace. If he needs to defend himself or use footwork to leave punching range, he said he can do that.

That approach fits his stated goal for the debut: display as much of his all-around MMA ability as he can while putting on an entertaining fight. He wants a worthy opponent because improving as a martial artist matters more to him than finding an easy matchup.

Why does Josiah Taylor avoid cutting much weight for 170 pounds?

Josiah Taylor said he was around 172 pounds ahead of his fight at 170, so he did not expect to cut much weight. He generally walks around at no more than about 176 pounds, though he recalled reaching 181 after a wrestling tournament. He believes a large cut could compromise his performance.

Fighting near his usual weight

Keeping weight on can be difficult when he trains three or four times in a day, Taylor said. He has worked to add muscle for 170 rather than drain himself to reach the class. In his view, a fighter who feels strong and appropriately sized at a weight does not need to move down simply to seek a size advantage.

Whether he could fight at 155 pounds

Taylor said he had been willing to accept a fight at either 155 or 170 pounds, but was reluctant about 155. He believes he could get there, yet did not want a cut to affect his cardio or ability to take a shot. He may eventually move down to 155; for this debut, he is comfortable at 170.

When the conversation turned to fighters making much larger cuts, Taylor argued that size alone does not decide a combat-sports contest. He recalled being strong when he began wrestling but losing because he had not yet learned how to wrestle well. Skill and preparation, he said, matter alongside physical size.

What did Josiah Taylor say about losses and a disputed Texas boxing draw?

Josiah Taylor said fighters should accept that a loss is possible and use it to improve. After the interviewer described a disputed draw on an MVP boxing card in Texas and criticism of his opinion about the bout, Taylor defended fans’ ability to discuss a result without being disrespectful.

The interviewer brought up Brittany Eagle flex Sims and said he believed she had been denied a win. Taylor did not offer his own account of the scoring. Instead, he said people will have different opinions about a fight and that expressing one is part of being a fan.

He applied the same principle to competitors. A fighter who does not get a hand raised, Taylor said, can accept the result and work to make a future performance more decisive. He recalled taking losses in wrestling and treating them as reasons to learn rather than to quit or be hard on himself.

Taylor summed up what he wants from competition:

It's just becoming a better martial artist and becoming the best that I can be

That is also why he wants his debut opponent to be well prepared. Taylor said beating someone he knew was not a worthy opponent would give him less satisfaction than testing his skills against someone capable.

Where does Josiah Taylor share his training updates?

Josiah Taylor said Instagram is the platform he uses most for his work. His account is kngtaylor_300, and he hopes to return to making vlogs about his training, something he did as a college freshman.

Those earlier vlogs followed training he was doing at the time. Taylor said he wants to resume that kind of posting, though he did not give a schedule. For now, Instagram is the place he directed people who want to follow what he does after his amateur debut.