Dilano Taylor of Kill Cliff FC is no longer a surprise as his PFL MMA title fight op proves it

PFL MMA finalist Dilano “The Postman” Taylor of Kill Cliff FC -- formerly Sanford MMA in (South Florida) Deerfield Beach and prior Hard Knocks 365 in Fort Lauderdale -- is vying for the title and a cool $1-million.

Taylor (10-2) battles Sweden’s Sadibou Sy (12-6-2) in the finals of the welterweight division during the PFL MMA Championships on Nov. 25 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The winner is not only awarded the championship belt but also $1-million.

Quite different from other MMA organizations, the PFL conducts a seasonal format with a regular season and playoffs, leading to Championship Fight Night in five men’s divisions and one women’s division.

In the 2022 semifinals in August in Cardiff, Wales, Taylor was a late replacement, and he upset top-seed Rory MacDonald via first round TKO. The 25-year old Jamaican shocked the MMA legend by landing crisp jabs and heavy power punches.

Here is my video interview with Dilano “The Postman” Taylor, discussing his journey, his life. Very interesting.

Taylor, who competed in the 2022 PFL Challenger Series, promised a changing of the guard and kept his word.

Taylor trained with MacDonald a couple of times when MacDonald joined Sanford MMA (now Kill Cliff FC), pre-Covid. He was a little over-whelmed but that attitude changed as he continued to develop at then Sanford MMA, one of the top training centers in the world, a one-stop shop for MMA fighters, led by Henri Hooft and Greg Jones.

Taylor, the first college graduate in his family, is a South Floridian, attending Norland High School in Miami and later wrestling for Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale. He earned two degrees from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

Because there were limited opportunities from Florida high school wrestlers to wrestle collegiately, he turned his attention to academia. He had a very good GPA in high school and that carried over to college.

Like his Kill Cliff FC teammate Jason “The Ass-Kicking Machine” Jackson, Taylor is a WWE fan. He decided to wrestle amateur style because he enjoyed the pro version. Yes, it’s different, but he adapted.

Taylor’s favs: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Batista, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Rey Mystrerio Jr., Undertaker “oh, and Randy Orton!”

Pro wrestling is on his radar but first things first as the biggest fight of his young life occurs Nov. 25 in NYC. That follows his biggest fight to that point in the semifinals against MacDonald.

Taylor is strong mentally. Training at Hard Knocks 365, Sanford MMA, Kill Cliff FC helped him develop that tough skill set and mindset. He is accustomed to taking fights last minute from his days competing in Titan FC in South Florida.

The PFL Championship fight card, which will feature 12 fights, including six $1-million championship bouts, will begin on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET, then move to ESPN+ PPV starting at 8.

Shane Burgos and Marlon Moraes, two PFL newcomers and former UFC standouts, will compete in a featherweight bout, and Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, will also make his MMA debut.

2022 PFL Championship fight card

ESPN+ PPV, 8 p.m. ET

Women’s lightweight finals: Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco

Featherweight finals: Brendan Loughnane vs. Bubba Jenkins

Featherweight: Shane Burgos vs. Marlon Moraes

Heavyweight finals: Ante Delija vs. Matheus Scheffel

Lightweight finals: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Stevie Ray

Welterweight finals: Sadibou Sy vs. Dilano Taylor

Light heavyweight finals: Robert Wilkinson vs. Omari Akhmedov

ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET

Lightweight: Natan Schulte vs. Jeremy Stephens

Women’s flyweight: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Katherine Corogenes

Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Tom Graesser

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