Ready for PFL MMA 2023, Dilano Taylor of Kill Cliff FC is no longer a surprise

Jim Varsallone
·5 min read

“The Postman” always delivers, and in the Professional Fighters League in 2022, MMA fighter Dilano Taylor lived up to that moniker.

With the 2023 PFL regular season beginning Saturday (PFL 1) in Las Vegas, Taylor (10-3) is on the April 14th (PFL 3) fight card, battling Russia’s Magomed Umalatov (12-0) of American Top Team in a first round welterweight division clash, which can be seen on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.

Here is my video interview with Dilano Taylor as he discusses PFL 2023, PFL 2022, Kill Cliff FC, Stranahan High School, MMA, Pro Wrestling, Rey Mysterio and more.

Taylor reached the finals of last season’s PFL playoffs as an alternate.

The confident combatant surprised many, except himself. He defeated Rory MacDonald by TKO in the semifinals and then dropped a unanimous decision to Sadibou Sy in the finals.

In the playoffs, Taylor replaced Umalatov who could not compete. That makes their April 14th match-up even more interesting.

About ‘The Postman’

Jamaican-born, “The Postman” Dilano Taylor grew up in South Florida, graduating from Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale. He wrestled in high school, learning quickly it was a very different style of wrestling. Taylor is a pro wrestling fan, growing up watching his favs Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio Jr.

Taylor, 26, of Dania Beach later trained in various martial arts disciplines, before turning his attention to MMA. He is a member of Kill Cliff FC, formerly Sanford MMA, in (South Florida) Deerfield Beach, under the direction of Henri Hooft and Greg Jones. The training center is about seven miles from ATT, where Umalatov trains, adding another dimension to their April 14th bout at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton.

PFL’s seasonal format features a regular season, followed by playoffs. The championship winner in each division earns $1-million and a title belt.

The 2023 PFL regular season begins Saturday with first round match-ups in light heavyweight and featherweight divisions.

PFL 3 is Friday, April 14 on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ from Las Vegas.
PFL 3 is Friday, April 14 on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ from Las Vegas.

PFL 3 2023

The Professional Fighters League, the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, announced the card for the third 2023 PFL Regular Season event, occurring on Friday, April 14 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton.

PFL 3 begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN+ (English and Spanish) with the action continuing at 9 p.m. on ESPN+.

2022 PFL Lightweight World Champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier returns to the PFL SmartCage and will headline PFL 3 against Shane Burgos, who will make his highly anticipated PFL debut against the reigning division champion.

In the co-main event, 2022 PFL Welterweight World Champion Sadibou Sy is set to face off with Jordanian native, Jarrah Al-Silawi, for an intriguing matchup with both fighters seeking to take a step toward the PFL Playoffs.

Further action will see the return of two-time PFL Lightweight World Champion, Natan Schulte, who will take on 2022 PFL Lightweight runner-up Stevie Ray.

2021 PFL Lightweight Champion Raush Manfio of (South Florida) American Top Team will match up with two-time PFL Lightweight Semifinalist Alexander Martinez, with both fighters seeking to make a return to the PFL playoffs.

“The Professional Fighters League is pleased to unveil the full card match-ups for the third 2023 Regular Season event at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Friday, April 14 featuring our Lightweight and Welterweight divisions,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo. “I am eager to watch our world class fighters leave it all on the line for MMA fans around the world and look forward to each of our three events coming to Las Vegas this April.”

PFL 3 Full Card

ESPN+ Card

Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Shane Burgos

Sadibou Sy vs. Jarrah Al-Silawi

Natan Schulte vs. Stevie Ray

Raush Manfio vs. Alexander Martinez

Shane Mitchell vs. TBA

Abdelaziz Abdulvakhabov vs. Ahmed Ami

ESPN2 Card (Simulcast on ESPN+)

Clay Collard vs. Yamato Nishikawa

Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Don Madge

Carlos Leal vs. David Zawada

Magomed Umalatov vs. Dilano Taylor

For tickets or more information on The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, visit virginhotelslv.com/venue/the-theater.

For more info and updates on PFL:

Web: PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma).

PFL 2023 on ESPN channels

The 2023 PFL Season debuts April 1 with PFL 1 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) with the action continuing at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, live from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

PFL is the only in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year, making PFL a “win and advance” meritocracy like all other major sports.

Fighters on the PFL roster hail from more than 20 countries, and 25-percent of PFL fighters are independently ranked in the top 25 of their weight-class. The company leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage powering real-time betting and next-gen viewing experience. PFL airs live in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 leading international media partners.

The company has four global live fight franchises: PFL League Season, PFL Challenger Series, PFL PPV Super Fights, and PFL Europe.

PFL airs in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 international leading media partners, including DAZN, DirectTV, Viaplay, Sky Sports, and MBC. PFL has dozens of major brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, GEICO, Bose, US Marine Corps, and Celsius Energy Drink.

PFL is backed by blue-chip investors including Ares, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners.

MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with more than 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic of any sport and true global revenue streams.

My MMA and Pro Wrestling Talk on the Web and Social Media

Web: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/

Twitter: @jimmyv3

YouTube: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProWrestlingSouthFlorida/

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Saia Inc (SAIA) Reports Q1 2024 Earnings: A Close Call with Analyst Estimates

    Revenue Surpasses Expectations, EPS Nearly Meets Forecasts

  • Burke & Herbert Financial Services Corp. Reports Q1 2024 Earnings and Declares Dividend

    Insights into Financial Performance and Upcoming Merger with Summit Financial Group

  • Stocks open higher, fueled by Alphabet, Microsoft results

    The major indexes (^DJI,^GSPC, ^IXIC) opened higher on Friday morning thanks to strong results from Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT). Investors seemingly were able to shrug off the latest inflation print. The core Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 2.8% in March, slightly more than the 2.7% economists had been expecting. It rose 0.3% from February, which was in line with estimates. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.

  • Israeli assault on Rafah would bring 'disaster' to Middle East, aid group warns

    An Israeli assault on southern Gaza's Rafah area would spell disaster for civilians, not only in Gaza but across the Middle East, the head of an aid group warned on Friday, saying the region faced a "countdown to an even bigger conflict". Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Reuters that 1.3 million civilians seeking refuge in Rafah - including his aid group's staff - were living in "indescribable fear" of an Israeli offensive.

  • Mississauga’s urban growth confronts a tree canopy first protected by the people who gave the city its name

    First enjoyed by the Mississaugas some three hundred years ago, the awesome tree cover that provided natural and spiritual benefits has since fallen victim to wide scale deforestation. Some Ojibwe, whose homelands spread to the easternmost area of the Anishinaabe people, migrated south to the banks of the Great Lake now called Ontario, around the early 1700s. They came to be known as the Mississaugas. Framing what are now known as Etobicoke Creek and the Credit River, the mouths where these flow

  • Man Claims He Was Given Money to Kidnap and Deliver Woman Later Found Dead in Burning SUV

    Katherine Altagracia Guerrero de Aguasvivas was found dead in her Dodge Durango on April 11

  • These are the countries where TikTok is already banned

    LONDON (AP) — TikTok is in the crosshairs of authorities in the U.S., where new law threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance divests. It would be the biggest blow yet to the popular video-sharing app, which has faced various restrictions around the world. TikTok is already banned in a handful of countries and from government-issued devices in a number of others, due to official worries that the app poses privacy and cybersecurity concerns. Those fears are reflected in t

  • Jennie Bond reflects on 'terribly sad' Jill Dando murder 25 years on

    Loose Women guest Jennie Bond has shared her devastation on the 25th anniversary of her friend Jill Dando's murder.

  • F1 design genius Adrian Newey holds key to Lewis Hamilton Ferrari success

    Newey has never worked with seven-time world champion Hamilton but the design guru’s likely exit from Red Bull paves the way for a dream partnership in Italy – if Newey wants one final challenge

  • UPDATE 1-Fed seen on track for Sept start to US rate cuts

    U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers sifting through the latest inflation data will find little to fuel a sense of urgency to cut interest rates, but also nothing to rule out the likelihood of rate reductions starting later this year. That was the view from financial markets and analysts following a government report on Friday that showed inflation rose last month largely in line with economist expectations, and with what Fed officials themselves had said they anticipated. Core PCE, a measure of underlying inflation, came in at 2.8%, the same as February.

  • Humza Yousaf insists he will not resign as pressure builds

    Humza Yousaf has insisted he will not resign as Scotland's first minister as pressure mounts on the SNP leader after his handling of a powersharing deal with the Scottish Greens has left him with the prospect of a no-confidence vote. "I''m feeling absolutely confident about winning that vote of no-confidence. The way to win that vote is by writing to party leaders. I intend to fight and to win that vote of no-confidence, I believe I can do that," he said. .

  • Niagara Falls Mayor & council members reject direction from Ombudsman; maintain exorbitant $500 fee to complain about their own conduct

    It should have come as no surprise to Councillor Lori Lococo that she would come up empty handed in her effort to get Niagara Falls Council to consider her Notice of Motion at their most recent meeting of April 9th, calling for easier access to oversight for all residents seeking to hold herself and her colleagues accountable to the voters who put them in office. On the surface, it seemed innocuous enough, asking for staff to prepare a report on Integrity Commissioner complaints from other citie

  • Ukraine withdraws Abrams tanks from front line amid barrage of drone attacks

    Ukraine has quietly withdrawn its American Abrams tanks from the front line to avoid the growing threat from Russian drones.

  • ‘Being her authentic self.’ Family, community honor brutally slain Miami Beach trans woman

    “It gave me so much bliss that she had a community,” said Ana Van Gilst, mother of murdered Andrea Doria Dos Passos.

  • Jerry Seinfeld's commitment to the bit

    NEW YORK (AP) — Jerry Seinfeld has been responsible for more movies than you think. Yes, he co-wrote and lent his voice to 2007's “Bee Movie." But before that, “Seinfeld” — where going to the movies, with or without the aid of Moviefone, was nearly as regular a destination as the coffee shop — gave birth to dozens of (fake) films. “Rochelle, Rochelle." “Prognosis Negative.” “Sack Lunch." But nearly three decades after Seinfeld was, in one episode, cajoled into bootlegging “Death Blow," he has fi

  • Deutsche Bank names new head of FX for Europe in London

    Deutsche Bank has named Oliver Jerome as head of European foreign exchange in London as the lender boosts its forex desks, according to a note sent internally. Jerome has held similar roles at JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley and was recently one of the founders of a technology company active in foreign exchange. At Deutsche Bank, he will report to Sameen Farooqui, co-head of global foreign exchange, and Panos Stergiou, head of institutional client group.

  • Q3 2024 KLA Corp Earnings Call

    Q3 2024 KLA Corp Earnings Call

  • World first jab to stop skin cancer trialled in UK - Tech & Science Daily podcast

    All the stories from Friday’s episode of the Tech & Science Daily podcast.

  • Rylan Griffen, member of Alabama’s Final Four team, will transfer to Kansas Jayhawks

    The Kansas basketball team has landed another transfer. He played in last year’s Final Four.

  • Northerners ‘tired of broken promises,’ Conservative critic says

    The federal Conservative critic for northern affairs and Arctic sovereignty says the Liberal government has failed to address housing and food security issues in the North. However, in an interview this week, Bob Zimmer, an MP from B.C., didn’t say how a Conservative government under Pierre Poilievre would tackle those issues. Zimmer was in Iqaluit to attend the Nunavut Mining Symposium on Wednesday. “The people in the North are tired of broken promises or no promises at all and we need to suppo