Rob Wilkinson (born 22 February 1992) is an Australian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the

Light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

division of

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

(PFL), where he won the championship in 2022. A professional competitor since 2011, he previously competed in the Middleweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and was the middleweight champion in

Australian Fighting Championship Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) is an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation based in Melbourne. In 2013 AFC was described as Australia's leading MMA organisation by MMA Kanvas and is part of Sherdog's list of top 50 global M ...

and

BRACE Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cu ...

Background

Wilkinson was born in Hobart,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia where he currently resides. Wilkinson started training at the age of 17 at Hobart’s Hybrid Training Centre, and was a personal trainer prior to taking up a career in MMA. He started training MMA after watching a video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he became ...

which he instantly fell in love with the sport.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Wilkinson made his professional debut in 2011 and amassed a record of 11-0. He has won all fights via stoppage but one and holds 9 out of his 11 fights in the 1st round, en route to capturing both

middleweight title and

middleweight championship belt. He last competed in a battle of undefeated fighters, submitted German Alexander Poppeck in the first round in Finland prior signed by UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Wilkinson made his promotional debut on 2 September 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve, replacing injured Abu Azaitar, against

Siyar Bahadurzada Siyar Bahadurzada ( fa, سیار بهادرزاده; born 17 April 1984) is a retired Afghan-born Dutch mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently works as an instructor for ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in round two, handing him his first career loss. Wilkinson faced

Israel Adesanya Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya (born 22 July 1989) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and former boxer with multiple championships in all three disciplines. As a mixed martial artist, h ...

on 11 February 2018 at

UFC 221 ''UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 11, 2018, at Perth Arena in Perth, Western Australia. Background While the UFC has hosted 11 previous events ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. On 14 August 2018 it was announced that Wilkinson was released from UFC.

Post-UFC career

In 2019, Wilkinson competed in two kickboxing bouts, winning both and earning a record of 2-0. Almost two years since his previous MMA bout, Wilkinson moved up to the light heavyweight division and faced

Dylan Andrews Dylan Andrews (born 15 November 1979) is a mixed martial artist from New Zealand who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Absolute Championship Berkut. A professional competitor since 2006, he has formerly competed in the UFC, ...

at AFC 23 on 1 December 2019. He won the fight via first-round submission. On 9 April 2021 Wilkinson defeated Daniel Almeida via first round TKO, winning the Hex Fight Series Light Heavyweight Championship. Wilkinson was scheduled to defend his title against Sam Kei at Hex Fight 22 on 9 July 2021. However, the bout was scrapped due to unknown reason.

Professional Fighters League

2022 Season

Wilkinson faced Bruce Souto on April 23, 2022 at PFL 1. He won the bout via ground and pound technical knockout in the second round. Wilkinson faced

Viktor Pešta ) , fighting_out_of = Prague, Czech Republic , height = 6 ft 3 in , weight_lb = 205 , weight_class = Heavyweight (2010–2019, 2023-) Light Heavyweight (2020–2022) , reach = , style = , trainer ...

on June 17, 2022 at PFL 4. He won the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round. Wilkinson faced Delan Monte in the Semifinals off the Light Heavyweight tournament on August 5, 2022 at PFL 7. He won the bout in the first round, knocking out Monte after landing a knee and then finishing him off with punches. In the finals of the Light Heavyweight tournament, Wilkinson faced

Omari Akhmedov Omari Akhmedov (born October 12, 1987) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). He previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Ba ...

on November 25, 2022 at PFL 10. He won the bout after the fight was stopped by the doctor due to a cut after the second round, also winning the $1 million collective tournament pool.

2023 Season

Wilkinson started the 2023 season against former UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger

Thiago Santos Thiago Santos de Lima (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), competing in the light heavyweight division. Prior to signing with the PFL, Santos competed for the U ...

on April 1, 2023 at PFL 1. He won the bout via unanimous decision. The result of the bout was later overturned to a no contest after Wilkinson tested positive for Elevated t/e ratio resulting from the androgynous origin of testosterone. Wilkinson was scheduled to face Will Fleury on June 8, 2023 at PFL 4. After Fleury had failed a commission drug test, he was replaced by Ty Flores. However on May 31 it was revealed that Wilkinson also failed a drug test. In process, he was pulled out of the 2023 season and

Daniel Spohn Daniel Brian Spohn (born October 12, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, and was a competitor on The Ultim ...

replaced him in the bout against Flores. Wilkinson was later suspended 9 months and fined for his positive drug test.

Boxing career

Having problems finding mixed martial arts fights, Wilkinson opted to compete also in boxing, making his debut against Jayden Joseph for the vacant Tasmanian Heavyweight title on 30 October 2021. He won the fight via fifth-round technical knockout.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** 2022 PFL Light Heavyweight Championship *

** AFC Middleweight Championship (One time) *

** BRACE Middleweight Championship (One time) *Hex Fight Series ** Hex Fight Series Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , NC , align=center, ,

, No Contest (overturned) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , PFL 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Delan Monte , KO (punches and knee) , PFL 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Viktor Pesta , TKO (punches) , PFL 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Bruce Souto , TKO (punches) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:46 ,

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Daniel Almeida , KO (punches) , Hex Fight Series 21 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Australian Fighting Championship 23 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:10 ,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Alexander Poppeck , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Euro Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 ,

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...

, Finland , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Jamie Abdallah , TKO (punches) , Australia Fighting Championship 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:07 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Daniel Schardt , Submission (guillotine choke) , Australia Fighting Championship 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:28 ,

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Gerhard Voigt , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Brace For War: Tournament Season 1 Final , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 , Canberra, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Rick Alchin , TKO (elbows) , Brace For War 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 , Sydney, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Kitt Campbell , Submission (triangle choke) , Brace For War 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 , Canberra, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Ben Kelleher , Decision (unanimous) , Submission 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Ady Sutton , Submission (armbar) , Valor Fight 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 , Launceston, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ty Shar , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Sport Fight 31 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Manson, Washington Manson is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Chelan County in the U.S. state of Washington. It was named in 1912 for Manson F. Backus, president of the Lake Chelan Land Company. Manson is located in the north-central portio ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marc Gehret , TKO (punches) , Brace For War 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 , Canberra, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Dallas Wilkinson-Reed , TKO (punches) , Brace For War 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Hobart, Australia , , -

Professional boxing record

Kickboxing record

, - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2019-08-24, , Win , , align=left, Patrick Dittrich , , Tasmanian Fighting Championships 2 , , Hobart, Australia , , Decision (split) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2019-05-18, , Win , , align=left, Joe Tullo , , Tasmanian Fighting Championships 1 , , Hobart, Australia , , KO , , 2 , , 1:28 , - , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Rob Living people 1992 births Sportspeople from Sydney Sportspeople from Hobart Sportsmen from New South Wales Sportsmen from Tasmania Australian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Australian male boxers Australian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu