For many fighters, the looming possibility of having their baby on the same day of their fight would result in them most likely choosing a different card to fight on. On the other hand, when a championship opportunity calls, the combined pressures of fatherhood looming along with a chance at climbing a pedestal in your career is what dreams are crafted from.
“If I am lying, I would be flying when I say that the pressure is definitely on”, Amarius Taylor said.
Fighting out of Clingans Kickboxing and Karate in Yuba City, CA, Amarius Taylor is a featherweight MMA prospect that sits at 4-2 so far in his amateur career. Most recently coming off a first-round knockout over Mikey Seely (2-2) at A1 Combat 19, Taylor will now look to take on California’s ”king” of the featherweight division in Ramon “El Toro” Cornejo for the A1 Combat Amateur Featherweight Championship on September 6th for A1 Combat 24.
Cornejo, the 8-2 prospect training out of Castro MMA in Tracy, California, is a champion across various organizations in the golden state, with the matchup possibly being a teaser of who can become a top featherweight prospect leading into their professional careers.
Although the future is bright now for the 530’s featherweight prospect, Taylor is also no stranger to having to build back from the ground up.
Starting off his amateur MMA career 0-2, Amarius Taylor began his career in a way that no fighter envisions. Losing back to back decisions at 559 Fights in 2022, Taylor decided to fight a little closer to home in his next bout, hoping a shorter distance to travel and being closer to home would aid in notching his first win.
The layoff and “home-field” advantage resulted in not only the aforementioned win, but a second-round doctor stoppage. This would begin a four fight unbeaten streak for the 22-year-old Clinigan Martial Arts mainstay, including two wins via knockout or technical knockout and one via unanimous decision.
Taylor’s return to the Hard Rock Sacramento will be sentimental for various reasons, not only due to its previous good tidings with his knockout at A1 Combat 19 in March, but also once previously employed the 4-2 featherweight prospect as a security guard.
Despite the shared pressures of familiar faces being in the venue, a nearly-due pregnant wife watching his fight or the chance to become a champion, Taylor says his career in MMA is fueled by a larger purpose.
“That belt (I walk out to the fights with) is my grandpa’s”, he explained. “He passed away a little before my first KO… I feel him every time I get in that cage. I know he’s watching me. ”
Don’t miss Amarius Taylor get into the cage next as he will be taking on Ramon Cornejo for the amateur A1 Combat Featherweight Championship at A1 Combat 24 on Sept. 6. Taylor’s fight will be the last fight on the prelims (as of Aug. 15), therefore his fight will be broadcasted live on the A1 Combat YouTube along with the rest of the preliminary card, which will start at 5 PM.
