A major upset in the PFL semi-finals saw former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC contender Rory MacDonald suffer a devastating TKO loss to late-notice replacement Dilano Taylor.
Taylor’s third win inside the PFL cage saw him drop MacDonald before finishing him via strikes inside the first round and he’s now one win away from a 2022 PFL tournament title and a $1,000,000 prize, while MacDonald exits in the semi-finals for the second season in a row.
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Taylor’s finish came at the 3:59 mark and will pit him against No. 2 seed Sadibou Sy in the final, who beat Carlos Leal earlier in the event.
Taylor got his shot as a replacement when Magomed Umalatov was ruled out, even though he was coming off a TKO loss to Magomed Magomedkerimov in his second regular-season fight in July.
“I already knew I had power in my right hand, and I already knew my jab is really hard to beat,” Taylor said in his in-cage interview after the fight.
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“I’m intrigued (by the matchup with Sy). I don’t know how that goes just yet.”
Former UFC contender Ben Askren gave a frank assessment of MacDonald’s future prospects on social media.
“Damn PFL has been rough for Rory, drops another one. I know he isn’t that old, but prob time for him to find another profession.”
MacDonald was one of the PFL’s highest-profile free agent signings but hasn’t managed to perform to the level expected. He’s now gone 1-2 in his two seasons.
Taylor will now fight in the 2022 PFL welterweight championship finals on Nov. 26.
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