12 fighters. 6 Million Dollar Championship Fights. The Professional Fighters League Has Arrived.

On New Year’s Eve in Madison Square Garden, 12 of the top MMA fighters in the world will be competing in 6 world title fights at the first ever Professional Fighters League (PFL) Championship. The winner of each fight will be taking home a cool $1 million.

This event is the culmination of a season unlike any other in mixed martial arts history. The PFL has created an action-packed schedule complete with a regular season, playoffs, and a championship. The league started with 72 athletes from 15 different countries divided evenly among 6 weight classes.

The PFL’s inaugural season kicked off in June with each fighter competing in two regular-season bouts. From there, the top 8 in each weight class advanced to the playoffs held in October with a win-or-go-home elimination.

However, this regular season structure and bracket-style playoff isn’t the only thing that makes the PFL unique. The organization promised a “fighters first” culture that many fighters feel has been distinctly lacking in pro MMA – until now.

Puncher recently had the honor of speaking with PFL Championship contenders Ray Cooper III (welterweight), Louis Taylor (middleweight), and Josh Copeland (heavyweight) about the PFL’s “fighters first” culture, what fighting for the PFL is really like, and their thoughts on competing in the inaugural championship fights.

Joining the Professional Fighters League Team

So how exactly did these fighters come to be a part of the Professional Fighters League? Was there a casting call, or maybe a “Survivor” style audition process? As it turns out, the reality was much less dramatic. For instance, Ray Cooper III reached out to Ray Sefo (President of PFL Fighting Operations) through social media, and Sefo extended an invitation.

Louis Taylor had fought in the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), which ultimately became the PFL, so the transition was fairly straightforward. The PFL wanted Taylor to be a part of the new season, so they bought his existing contract. The downside was, he had to wait out his television contracts for nearly a year.

“For like a year, I was really broke and hungry,” said Taylor. “There’s always some skepticism when you’re sitting out and waiting on this new organization, wondering if it’s going to ever really happen the way they said it would, but since it’s started, there’s been no looking back. This whole year has been the busiest I’ve been probably in my entire MMA career.”

Copeland also transitioned from the WSOF to PFL. “A lot of people have been direct messaging me, people I don’t even know asking me, ‘How do I get into the PFL?’ and I’m like, ‘I have no clue. I just got transferred over.’”

While Cooper, Taylor, and Copeland make joining the PFL sound easy, without the ability and work ethic these athletes have clearly demonstrated, these relatively smooth transitions into the PFL would not have been possible.

Fighters First

From the get-go, the Professonal Fighters League has promised a “fighters first” culture. When asked if the PFL has delivered, Cooper responded, “Yes. We can hold our own career in our hands. It’s not about who talks the most… it’s about fighting and the sport. It’s awesome. Only the strongest survive and the weak fall off to the side. I love this tournament style.”

Taylor expressed a similar outlook, saying, “When it comes down to the politics of promoting, people are always going to try to go with the bigger name. But I feel like within the season, the fighters who deserve to shine have taken center stage, and they earned it. Everybody who is in the finals has earned their place. No one was given this finals appearance. You have to earn it through the season, you have to earn it through the playoffs, and now you have to earn it if you want to win it.”

Taylor continued, “A lot of guys left the UFC to become a part of the PFL. Some of those guys did well, and some of those guys got eliminated. There are no guarantees. Because the UFC is known as the face of MMA, a lot of people don’t respect or overlook the talent outside of the UFC. I tell people all the time, I’ve knocked out four or five different UFC guys, and the only reason my knockouts and submissions didn’t matter was because it wasn’t within the UFC. I could have fought the same people in the UFC and destroyed them, and I would have been a household name by now.”

When asked what makes the PFL special or different, Copeland responded, “It’s the way they treat us fighters. It really doesn’t matter where you’re at, whether you’re working a normal job or whatnot, we all want to be a part of something where the boss or the owners actually appreciate their employees.”

So it’s not surprising that when asked if the PFL has delivered on their fighters first promise, Copeland’s answer is, “Absolutely. Even in the regular season before the playoffs and championship, they’re paying more than double what the UFC pays. I’m blown away, just with their generosity and they way they treat us. I am genuinely honored and proud to be a part of this organization.”

Total Confidence

When asked if they ever thought they would get to the PFL Championships, the answer across the board was a resounding, “Yes!”

Cooper responded, “We knew I was going to get to these finals. It was just a matter of time and training. I don’t train just to compete. I train to be the best and push myself. I expected nothing less of myself [than to reach the championship].”

Taylor also expressed confidence, as well as a certain amount of satisfaction laced with a dose of pragmatism. “This is where I want to be. When I set out to start this tournament, anything less than being in this position that I’m in right now would have been a failure to me. I’m as happy as can be because I’m where I want to be living my dream, but… you cannot overlook anybody in this type of format. The minute you think that you’re going to get past somebody easy is the minute you wake up with the smelling salts.”

As the oldest fighter in the championship at the age of 39, Taylor is often asked if his age is a factor. “My age is only a factor if I’m losing. As long as you’re winning, no one’s worried about your age.” Taylor attributes healthy living and doing all the right things to take care of himself as a key factor in his longevity as a fighter. “The things that damage people and make them old aren’t the things that I’m doing.”

Like Cooper and Taylor, Copeland also is confident. However, he commented, “You still need to be well-prepared, in-shape, ready to go, but you also need a little luck on your side, too.”

The Million Dollar Question

Of course, when there’s $1,000,000 on the line, it’s natural to wonder what the athletes will spend it on if they should win the money. With all those zeros, visions of cars and new houses might dance in one’s head. However, none of the three are dazzled by a million dollar paycheck, and in fact, for all of them, taking care of family is top priority.

When asked if this win would be life-changing, Copeland replied, “It’s just crazy thinking how much my life has already changed [after winning the playoff fight] and now I’m in the championship. Let alone if I’m able to pull off a W coming up. There’s no doubt in my mind my life’s going to change just as much, if not more. There’s a lot riding on this next win or loss.”

When asked how the win would change his life, Taylor shared his perspective. “I’m already living my dream, so no amount of money can really change the life or the journey that I’m on. This is just another zero to the same check that I’m fighting for. This is also the biggest amount of money that I’ve ever fought for. Still, it’s not going to make me the happiest person in the world, and it’s not going to make me the most miserable person in the world if I lose. Of course it is life-changing money because it gives you the opportunity to make mistakes, which being broke, that’s the biggest challenge. You can’t afford to make a mistake because your whole business will go under. So that’s all this is. It just gives my table legs. One of those legs can get chopped down, I’ve still got three more, and I can still make my business opportunities work.”

For Cooper, it’s also not so much about the money itself but about how it could help him move forward with his career goals. “I’ll still train and do what I want to do and fight for a living. This is only the first step. This is just the beginning of my career. I’m looking to keep fighting and be the champion of all weights. I’m might move up to 185 next year. My ultimate goal is to compete at a high level and be the best.”

But really, what would you do with the million?

Copeland has been quoted on the Professional Fighters League’s Instagram page as saying, “Even if I win the million bucks, I’m still gonna be driving my Jetta.” Puncher asked him about this and he replied, “It’s crazy how fast money can go if you’re not smart with it.” He reiterated that after coaches, management, and Uncle Sam get their cut, only about half the amount will be left. However, Copeland did finally reveal that win or lose, he is taking his five-year-old son to Disneyland.

After speaking with Cooper, Copeland, and Taylor, it would seem that the PFL has indeed made good on its promise of a fighters first culture. It’s structure and better pay are a big hit with the fighters. Not only that, but it’s been life-changing already, and more fighters than ever want in.

During our conversation, Cooper expressed his gratitude to Ray Sefo for the opportunity and commented, “The PFL is the future of MMA.”

All photos courtesy of Professional Fighters League.

“About the author: Holly Layman is a writer and martial arts enthusiast based in Southern California.”

To learn more about the history and practice of martial arts check out the other articles in the Puncher “What is” series on Judo, Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Sambo, Krav Maga, MMA and more.

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