The Professional Fighters League’s decision to hold
its playoff shows in the U.K. has backfired for multiple
semifinalists.

The organization released
the news on Thursday that two semifinal matches at
PFL 8 Playoffs had changed. Both heavyweight Denis
Goltsov and 170-pounder Magomed
Umalatov were unable to acquire visas to enter the United
Kingdom. This forced them out of their semifinal bouts with
Matheus
Scheffel (16-8) and Rory
MacDonald (23-9-1), respectively. Their replacements will be
Juan
Adams (10-4) for Goltsov, and Dilano
Taylor (9-2) for Umalatov. On just a few days’ notice, Taylor
and Adams will be competing at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff,
Wales, on Aug. 13.

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Adams made the most of his single PFL appearance this year,
punching out Sam Kei at the
midpoint of the second round at PFL 5 to claim five points and a
high alternate spot. The Ultimate Fighting Championship vet left the
promotion after four appearances, having registered a single win –
a knockout of Chris de
la Rocha in 2018. A trio of defeats drummed him out of the
organization, and “The Kraken” moved on to the Texas-based Fury FC
league, where he won by stoppage four times across five
appearances. Per TSN,
Adams has been in the country since Tuesday, and he had already
planned on cutting weight and clocking in as a backup should the
need arise.

Taylor joined the PFL at the beginning of the year, facing off
against Mark Martin
in the second episode of its Challenger Series and disfiguring
Martin’s face to get the injury TKO win. Although he did not get
the contract the end of the night, he managed to slide in as an
alternate in the 2022 season, where he beat Joao
Zeferino by split decision in short notice at PFL 3. A
subsequent outing as a late replacement against Magomed
Magomedkerimov did not go his way, and „The Postman“ succumbed
to strikes in Round 2. The three points claimed by Taylor were
enough to snag him an alternate spot at welterweight, where he now
is two wins away from the $1 million prize.

PFL 8: 2022 Playoffs goes down on Aug. 13 at the Motorpoint Arena
in Cardiff, Wales, and MacDonald vs. Taylor will serve as its main
event at 170 pounds. The co-headliner comes at heavyweight, with
Ante
Delija taking on Renan
Ferreira for one half of the bracket’s semifinals. The other
portion comes between Scheffel and Adams. Kicking off the semifinal
matches is a welterweight scrap between Sadibou Sy
and Carlos
Leal Miranda, but it will not be the main card opener. Instead,
a 145-pound qualifier for next year’s season will serve in that
role, with Nathan
Kelly squaring off against Ben
Ellis.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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