Bobby Taylor (right) competes at BKFC 11 - Photo by Phil Lambert for Bare Knuckle FC
Bobby Taylor: Finding Home in the World of Bare-Knuckle
Prior to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship holding its first event in June 2018, it had been nearly 130 years (1889) since an officially sanctioned bare-knuckle event took place in the United States. Since that first event, several fighters have migrated from the MMA and boxing world to participate in the revival of this combat sport. The majority of those fighters are giving the sport a try, but few have discovered they are truly meant for this type of combat sport. One of those fighters who has found their new home in the world of combat sport is Bobby Taylor.
Finding Home
With a prior background in wrestling, jiu-jitsu, or any other form of combat sports, Taylor entered the realm of professional MMA back in 2009. With several of his victories coming by first-round knockout, it was no surprise at how well Taylor would take to bare-knuckle after its re-sanctioning in the United States. “I definitely feel more comfortable in Bare Knuckle. I don’t have a background in any martial art or wrestling. I’m known for my power punches, so of course, most fighters want to take the fight to the ground. In the squared circle they have to stand with me and being that my background in the sport was tough man contest and since dirty boxing is legal, I feel right at home,” Taylor told MyMMANews.
Challenging Debut, Dominant Follow-Up
The big debut in BKFC came for Taylor in July 2020 when faced professional boxer, Louis Hernandez, at BKFC 11 in Oxford, Mississippi. After a rough couple of first rounds with the boxer, Taylor found his groove and has not looked back. “It always feels good to have a dominant win. To be honest my first fight did more for my confidence. It was a battle against a really good boxer and very tough opponent. He won the first two rounds and I couldn’t lose another one. I had to turn it up a notch and won the next three. Being dominant is great but being tested does more for my confidence. That’s when you really find out what you’re made of and how far you can push yourself. But that being said, I’m always hoping for a dominant performance,” stated Taylor.
Bright Future on the Horizon
Two months later, Taylor competed on the Toe The Line 1 card, a promotion of BKFC. Learning from his first bare-knuckle performance, Taylor entered the squared circle and dominated. He won with a knockout just 65 seconds into the contest. The next time we see Taylor inside the BKFC ring, we can only expect to see continued growth and development. Continuing to score dominant wins could find Taylor in the title picture sooner than later.
