Dilano Taylor shocks Rory MacDonald to punch ticket to 2022 PFL Championship

Dilano Taylor hushed all talk of a Rory MacDonald resurgence.

The Sanford MMA rep cut down the top-seeded MacDonald with first-round punches, as their 2022 Professional Fighters League semifinal headlined PFL 8 on Saturday at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales. A short-notice substitution for Magomed Umalatov, Taylor (10-2, 3-1 PFL) slammed the door 3:59 into Round 1.

MacDonald (23-10-1, 2-4 PFL) initiated an immediate clinch but wound up on his back after a failed takedown. He ultimately returned to an upright position but found himself at a significant disadvantage in the hand speed department. Taylor connected with regularity before flooring the Tristar Gym mainstay with a searing right cross. MacDonald then retreated into a shell on the ground and ate one too many follow-up punches for referee Marc Goddard’s liking.

Taylor moves on to the 2022 PFL welterweight final, where he will face Sadibou Sy on Nov. 25 for a $1M prize. Sy (12-6-2, 6-4-2) climbed into the tournament championship with a unanimous decision over Carlos Leal Miranda in their three-round welterweight semifinal. All three cageside judges struck 29-27 scorecards for the Swede.

Miranda (17-4, 3-1 PFL) entered the cage on an 11-fight winning streak and was the aggressor for much of the 15-minute encounter. However, Sy cut off his advances with a potent jab, sneaky counterpunching and airtight takedown defense. Miranda was presented with even more of an uphill climb in the third round, where he was deducted a point for landing a knee to the groin. It proved to be a bridge too far for the Brazilian, who suffered his first defeat in nearly eight years.

Meanwhile, Ante Delija sent Renan Ferreira packing with punches in the first round of their heavyweight semifinal. A protégé of the great Mirko Filipovic, Delija (22-5, 6-2 PFL) brought it to a close with a sustained volley of unanswered blows 4:31 into Round 1.

Ferreira (9-4, 3-2 PFL) drew blood in his first exchange with the Croatian but devolved into a non-factor. Delija bullied his way into the clinch, executed a takedown and navigated the Team Nogueira standout’s guard with surprising ease. He unleashed his ground-and-pound, steadily increased the intensity of his punches and drew the curtain with a burst of hammerfists.

Delija advances to the 2022 PFL heavyweight final, where Matheus Scheffel and a shot at $1M await in November. Scheffel (17-8, 2-1 PFL) punched his ticket to the tournament championship with a comprehensive beatdown of Juan Adams, as he took care of “The Kraken” with punches in the third round of their heavyweight semifinal. Though Adams (10-5, 1-1 PFL) was still standing, referee Rich Mitchell erred on the side of caution and called for the stoppage due to an accumulation of punishment 3:45 into Round 3.

Adams—who replaced Denis Goltsov on short notice—enjoyed some minimal success with clinches and takedowns, but he ran out of gas inside the first round and more or less became a stationary target. Scheffel capitalized, as the CM System export connected with powerful left hooks to the head and body, a steady jab and more than one overhand right that wobbled his fading counterpart.

In other action, Josh O’Connor (2-0, 1-0 PFL) dispatched Emran Sakhizaada (2-2, 0-1 PFL) with a rear-naked choke 2:56 into the third round of their lightweight clash; Marcin Wojcik (16-8, 1-0 PFL) put away Mick Stanton (9-7, 0-1 PFL) with a rear-naked choke 4:04 into the first round of their light heavyweight encounter; Chris Mixan (4-1, 2-0 PFL) eked out a split verdict—29-28, 28-29, 29-28—against Christian Stigenberg (3-2, 1-1 PFL) in a three-round welterweight affair; Nathan Kelly (6-2, 1-0 PFL) disposed of Ben Ellis (4-2, 0-1 PFL) with a rear-naked choke 2:45 into the first round of their featherweight showcase; and Szymon Bajor (24-9, 1-0 PFL) took a unanimous decision from Ronny Markes (22-10, 2-4 PFL) in a three-round heavyweight pairing, drawing 30-27, 30-27 and 29-27 scores from the cageside judges.