Florida will be a hot spot in April with top MMA action. UFC in Miami, PFL in Orlando
In April, UFC and PFL MMA take over the Sunshine State.
UFC 314 is April 12 in Miami at Kaseya Center, home of the three-time NBA champion Miami Heat.
PFL MMA is making Universal Studios Orlando its home in April with four consecutive weeks of world tournament action.
How we got here
Florida is known for some top MMA training centers, especially in South Florida.
American Top Team in Coconut Creek and Kill Cliff FC (formerly Sanford MMA and Hard Knocks 365) in Deerfield Beach are withing 10 miles of each other. Those gyms display a wealth of MMA talent (men and women) from throughout the world.
American Top Team is co-founded by Dan Lambert and Conan Silveira. Kill Cliff FC is run by Henri Hooft. Many good coaches/trainers at the two facilities.
Thanks to those training centers and the growing popularity of the brand, UFC sold out Kaseya Center in 2023 and 2024 with Miami now becoming an annual stop for the No.1 MMA company in the world. Even President Trump attended both times with Kid Rock and Mike Tyson.
UFC, led by Dana White, is seen on ESPN and its various TV viewing and streaming platforms.
PFL conducted tournament competition at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in (South Florida) Hollywood. In 2021, the semifinals (August) and the finals (October) in each division, and in 2024 the semifinals (August) in the lightweight and light heavyweight divisions.
UFC 314 Miami interview
Interview with Michael Chandler
At UFC 314, Kill Cliff FC’s Michael Chandler (23-9) is in the co-main event against England’s Paddy Pimblett (22-3) in a lightweight contest via ESPN+. When Chandler fights — win or lose — it’s very entertaining.
He lost four of his last five fights, but four of those earned UFC Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night honors. In those five battles, they were against top fighters, i.e. Charles Oliveira (lost twice — decision, TKO), Dustin Poirier (lost - submission), Tony Ferguson (won - KO) and Justin Gaethje (lost - decision).
Here is my video interview with Chandler, 38, who resides in Nashville where he owns a fitness and MMA training center, and travels to South Florida to prepare for fights at Kill Cliff FC, formerly Sanford MMA and Hard Knocks 365.
Early prelims for UFC 314 Miami begin at 6 p.m., followed by the prelims at 8 p.m. The main card will start at 10 p.m.
UFC 314 Miami tickets: UFC 314 Tickets
UFC web: https://www.ufc.com/.
PFL Tournament Orlando
Interviews with top fighters
PFL, led by Peter Murray, does things differently. In years past, the company scheduled a regular season and playoffs in various weight divisions with each champion winning a PFL title belt and $1 million.
This PFL season features a few changes in the format. Instead of a regular season and playoffs, PFL selected eight top fighters in several weight classes, and each will compete in a tournament, beginning with the quarterfinals in April in Orlando.
Each weight class tournament champion receives a PFL title belt and $500,000.
The middleweight division is stacked with eight outstanding combatants, including 2023 PFL MMA Champion and two-time PFL MMA finalist Impa Kasanganay.
Born in Fort Lauderdale, Impa, 31, who trains at Kill Cliff FC, will compete in his third Professional Fighters League MMA Tournament in a stacked middleweight division. In a PFL quarterfinal battle, Impa (18-5) faces Fabian Edwards (13-4) on April 18 in the main event via ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+ from Universal Studios Orlando.
Below is my video interview with 2023 PFL MMA Champion and two-time PFL MMA finalist Impa Kasanganay at his gym/training facility — Impa’s Refinery — in Southwest Miami.
Impa’s Refinery, which opened in May 2024, is for all comers (kids to adults and seniors), where you can train to become a fighter in various combat sport disciplines. You can also work out to get in shape. You can learn self defense. Open to all, so many options for anyone at any level.
Also in the PFL Middleweight Tournament is Josh Silveira.
In his quarterfinal battle, Silveira (13-4) faces Mike Shipman (17-4) on April 18 via ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+ from Universal Studios Orlando.
This marks his third PFL Tournament. He reached the finals in 2023 and semifinals in 2024, losing to Impa both times.
A Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons High School alum, Silveira, 32, resides in South Florida and trains at the award-winning American Top Team in Coconut Creek, where his famous father Conan is the head coach and co-founder of the gym.
Here is my video interview with Silveira at American Top Team.
One of Silveira’s training partners at ATT is Dalton Rosta, who is in the PFL Middleweight Tournament for the first time.
In a PFL quarterfinal battle, Rosta (9-1) faces Sadibou Sy (17-8-2) on Friday, April 18 from Universal Studios Orlando via ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+.
Rosta went 9-1 for Bellator MMA. PFL bought out Bellator, making Rosta eligible for the PFL tournament. If he and Silveira each win two fights, they will meet in the tournament finals.
Originally from New Castle, Pennsylvania, Rosta currently resides in South Florida.
Here is my video interview with Rosta at ATT.
Jason Jackson (18-5) of Kill Cliff FC is part of the new PFL TV program “PFL Origins,” which debuted recently on ESPN2. A former Bellator champion, he is also part of the PFL World Tournament as he faces Andrey Koreshkov (28-5) in his PFL tournament debut / welterweight division quarterfinal in the main event on Thursday, April 3 via ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+ from Universal Studios Orlando.
“PFL Origins” is a cinematic MMA storytelling series that previews the biggest fights in the 2025 PFL World Tournament and provides unprecedented access to the most compelling fighter stories. With a blend of personal and fight narratives, “PFL Origins” captures the energy, pressure, and emotion as the fighters approach their one shot at greatness. The show will also be available on PFL’s YouTube channel.
Here is my video interview with the talented 34-year-old Jackson.
ESPN and its affiliates are the TV viewing/streaming home of PFL.
PFL Web: https://pflmma.com/.
PFL Quarterfinals Schedule
Universal Studios Orlando
Thursday: Welterweight and featherweight
MAIN CARD LIVE ON ESPN2, ESPN DEPORTES & ESPN+ 10 p.m. ET
April 11: Bantamweight and women’s flyweight
April 18: Middleweight and lightweight
May 1: Light heavyweight and heavyweight
For match-ups, tickets and more information, visit:
https://pflmma.com/wt-season/2025
The semifinals will be in June in Chicago, Nashville and Wichita, Kansas.
