Rob Wilkinson
Rob Wilkinson (born 22 February 1992) is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (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 and was the middleweight champion in Australian Fighting Championship and BRACE.
Rob Wilkinson | |
---|---|
Born | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia[1] | 22 February 1992
Other names | Razor |
Nationality | Australian |
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
Division | Light Heavyweight (2019–present) Middleweight (2011–2018) |
Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
Fighting out of | Sydney, Australia[2] |
Team | VT1 gym[3] Hybrid Training Centre Factory X (2022–present)[4] |
Teacher(s) | Priscus Fogagnolo (BJJ)[5] |
Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Priscus Fogagnolo[6] |
Years active | 2011–present |
Professional boxing record | |
Total | 1 |
Wins | 1 |
By knockout | 1 |
Kickboxing record | |
Total | 2 |
Wins | 2 |
By knockout | 1 |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 20 |
Wins | 17 |
By knockout | 9 |
By submission | 7 |
By decision | 1 |
Losses | 2 |
By knockout | 2 |
No contests | 1 |
Other information | |
Boxing record from BoxRec | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Background
Wilkinson was born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia[1] where he currently resides.[3] 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 of Randy Couture which he instantly fell in love with the sport.[7][8][9]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Wilkinson made his professional debut in 2011 and amassed a record of 11-0.[10] 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 Australian Fighting Championship middleweight title and BRACE middleweight championship belt.[11] He last competed in a battle of undefeated fighters, submitted German Alexander Poppeck in the first round in Finland prior signed by UFC.[3]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Wilkinson made his promotional debut on 2 September 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve, replacing injured Abu Azaitar,[12][13] against Siyar Bahadurzada.[14] He lost the fight via TKO in round two, handing him his first career loss.[15]
Wilkinson faced Israel Adesanya on 11 February 2018 at UFC 221.[16] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[17]
On 14 August 2018 it was announced that Wilkinson was released from UFC.[18]
Post-UFC career
In 2019, Wilkinson competed in two kickboxing bouts, winning both and earning a record of 2-0.[19]
Almost two years since his previous MMA bout, Wilkinson moved up to the light heavyweight division and faced Dylan Andrews at AFC 23 on 1 December 2019. He won the fight via first-round submission.[20]
On 9 April 2021 Wilkinson defeated Daniel Almeida via first round TKO, winning the Hex Fight Series Light Heavyweight Championship.[21]
Wilkinson was scheduled to defend his title against Sam Kei at Hex Fight 22 on 9 July 2021.[22] However, the bout was scrapped due to unknown reason.
2022 Season
Wilkinson faced Bruce Souto on April 23, 2022 at PFL 1.[23] He won the bout via ground and pound technical knockout in the second round.[24]
Wilkinson faced Viktor Pešta on June 17, 2022 at PFL 4.[25] He won the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.[26]
Wilkinson faced Delan Monte in the Semifinals off the Light Heavyweight tournament on August 5, 2022 at PFL 7.[27] He won the bout in the first round, knocking out Monte after landing a knee and then finishing him off with punches.[28]
In the finals of the Light Heavyweight tournament, Wilkinson faced Omari Akhmedov on November 25, 2022 at PFL 10.[29] 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.[30]
2023 Season
Wilkinson started the 2023 season against former UFC Light Heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos on April 1, 2023 at PFL 1.[31] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[32] 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.[33]
Wilkinson was scheduled to face Will Fleury on June 8, 2023 at PFL 4.[34] After Fleury had failed a commission drug test, he was replaced by Ty Flores.[7] 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 replaced him in the bout against Flores.[35][36] Wilkinson was later suspended 9 months and fined for his positive drug test.[33]
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.[37] He won the fight via fifth-round technical knockout.[38]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Professional Fighters League
- Australian Fighting Championship
- BRACE
- BRACE Middleweight Championship (One time)[41]
- Hex Fight Series
- Hex Fight Series Light Heavyweight Championship (one time)[42]
Mixed martial arts record
20 matches | 17 wins | 2 losses |
By knockout | 9 | 2 |
By submission | 7 | 0 |
By decision | 1 | 0 |
No contests | 1 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NC | 17–2 (1) | Thiago Santos | No Contest (overturned) | PFL 1 | 1 April 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Originally a Decision (unanimous) win for Wilkinson; result overturned after Wilkinson tested positive for Elevated t/e ratio. |
Win | 17–2 | Omari Akhmedov | TKO (doctor stoppage) | PFL 10 | 25 November 2022 | 2 | 5:00 | New York City, New York, United States | 2022 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament Final. |
Win | 16–2 | Delan Monte | KO (punches and knee) | PFL 7 | 5 August 2022 | 1 | 1:37 | New York City, New York, United States | 2022 PFL Light Heavyweight Semifinals. |
Win | 15–2 | Viktor Pesta | TKO (punches) | PFL 4 | 17 June 2022 | 1 | 3:03 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
Win | 14–2 | Bruce Souto | TKO (punches) | PFL 1 | 20 April 2022 | 2 | 0:46 | Arlington, Texas, United States | |
Win | 13–2 | Daniel Almeida | KO (punches) | Hex Fight Series 21 | 9 April 2021 | 1 | 1:22 | Melbourne, Australia | Won the Hex Fight Series Light Heavyweight Championship. |
Win | 12–2 | Dylan Andrews | Submission (guillotine choke) | Australian Fighting Championship 23 | 1 December 2019 | 1 | 3:03 | Melbourne, Australia | Light Heavyweight debut. |
Loss | 11–2 | Israel Adesanya | TKO (knees and punches) | UFC 221 | 11 February 2018 | 2 | 3:37 | Perth, Australia | |
Loss | 11–1 | Siyar Bahadurzada | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve | 2 September 2017 | 2 | 3:10 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
Win | 11–0 | Alexander Poppeck | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Euro Fighting Championship 1 | 1 October 2016 | 1 | 3:51 | Espoo, Finland | |
Win | 10–0 | Jamie Abdallah | TKO (punches) | Australia Fighting Championship 15 | 19 March 2016 | 3 | 4:07 | Melbourne, Australia | Won the AFC Middleweight Championship. |
Win | 9–0 | Daniel Schardt | Submission (guillotine choke) | Australia Fighting Championship 14 | 12 September 2015 | 1 | 3:28 | Melbourne, Australia | |
Win | 8–0 | Gerhard Voigt | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Brace For War: Tournament Season 1 Final | 22 November 2014 | 1 | 3:45 | Canberra, Australia | Won the BRACE Middleweight Championship. |
Win | 7–0 | Rick Alchin | TKO (elbows) | Brace For War 28 | 8 August 2014 | 1 | 4:16 | Sydney, Australia | |
Win | 6–0 | Kitt Campbell | Submission (triangle choke) | Brace For War 27 | 17 May 2014 | 1 | 1:32 | Canberra, Australia | |
Win | 5–0 | Ben Kelleher | Decision (unanimous) | Submission 4 | 17 August 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Alice Springs, Australia | |
Win | 4–0 | Ady Sutton | Submission (armbar) | Valor Fight 3 | 8 December 2012 | 1 | 3:47 | Launceston, Australia | |
Win | 3–0 | Ty Shar | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Sport Fight 31 | 4 August 2012 | 1 | 1:42 | Manson, Washington, United States | |
Win | 2–0 | Marc Gehret | TKO (punches) | Brace For War 14 | 12 February 2012 | 1 | 4:55 | Canberra, Australia | |
Win | 1–0 | Dallas Wilkinson-Reed | TKO (punches) | Brace For War 12 | 15 October 2011 | 1 | N/A | Hobart, Australia |
Professional boxing record
1 fight | 1 win | 0 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 1 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Win | 1–0 | Jayden Joseph | TKO | 5 (8), 1:37 | 30 October 2021 | Hobart City Hall, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | Won vacant Tasmania State heavyweight title |
Kickboxing record
2 Wins (1 (T)KO's), 0 Losses, 0 Draws. | ||||||||
Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019-08-24 | Win | Patrick Dittrich | Tasmanian Fighting Championships 2 | Hobart, Australia | Decision (split) | 5 | 3:00 | |
2019-05-18 | Win | Joe Tullo | Tasmanian Fighting Championships 1 | Hobart, Australia | KO | 2 | 1:28 | |
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes |
References
- "Rob Wilkinson - Official UFC® Profile". au.ufc.com. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "Rob Wilkinson". Tapology. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- Post, Chris (29 July 2017). "Undefeated middleweight Rob Wilkinson signs with the UFC". Fight News Australia. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- Cageside Press (18 June 2022). PFL 4: Rob Wilkinson Explains Move To Factory X – via YouTube.
- "This is my division! - AFC MMA". AFC MMA. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- Rob Wilkinson [@razorrobwilkinson] (20 December 2019). "After 10 years of training it was a honour to be given my blue belt in BJJ from my professor @priscusfogagnolo" – via Instagram.
- Filosi, Ben (17 February 2022). "Rob Wilkinson signs with the PFL, returning to the World MMA stage". The Inner Sanctum. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- Lawler, Jarrod (26 November 2022). "Rob Wilkinson defeats Omari Akhmedov in PFL Final". The Mercury.
- Rosendale, Ryan (15 December 2022). "Rob 'Razor' Wilkinson credits training shift for World Championship win". The Mercury.
- "Welcome to the UFC: Rob Wilkinson - MMA Today". MMA Today. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- Sherdog.com. "Rob". Sherdog. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "Rob Wilkinson nowym rywalem Siyara Bahadurzada na UFC Fight Night w Rotterdamie - MMA PL". MMA PL (in Polish). 31 July 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "With Abu Azaitar out, Siyar Bahadurzada meets Rob Wilkinson at UFC Fight Night 115". MMAjunkie. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "Siyar Bahadurzada krijgt andere tegenstander in Ahoy | MMAplanet". www.mmaplanet.nl. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "UFC-Rotterdam results: Siyar Bahadurzada hammers previously unbeaten Rob Wilkinson". MMAjunkie. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- "Undefeated prospect Israel Adesanya makes UFC debut against Rob Wilkinson in Perth". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- "UFC 221 results: Israel Adesanya takes out Rob Wilkinson with TKO in UFC debut". MMAjunkie. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- "Dustin Poirier Passing On 'Most Violent' Title Ahead Of Nate Diaz Fight". Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- "Rob Wilkinson ("Razor") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- Morgan, John (1 December 2019). "Video: Rob Wilkinson stays perfect outside UFC, scores acrobatic submission of Dylan Andrews". mmajunkie.com.
- "Hex Fight Series 21 Results – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- Bryan Henderson (7 July 2021). "Out of Obscurity: Hex Fight Series, Hexagone 1 and SBC 31/MMA Series 36". combatpress.com.
- "Manfio vs. Madge to headline PFL season kickoff". ESPN.com. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- Sherdog.com. "PFL 1 2022 Regular Season Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- "Collard to face Martinez in PFL second round". ESPN.com. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- "Pešta schytal technické KO už v prvním kole a sezona v PFL pro něj končí | TN.cz". tn.nova.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- Hannoun, Farah (24 May 2022). "2022 PFL playoff schedule includes U.K. doubleheader, promotion's first international shows". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- "PFL Playoffs: Rob Wilkinson moves to finals with solid KO of Delan Monte (Video)". FanSided. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- "2022 PFL Championships lineup set for Thanksgiving week pay-per-view, includes 6 title fights and more". MMA Junkie. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- King, Nolan (26 November 2022). "2022 PFL Championship results: Rob Wilkinson slices Omari Akhmedov open for $1 million light heavyweight crown". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- "Loughnane-Moraes to kick off 2023 PFL season". ESPN.com. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- Anderson, Jay (1 April 2023). "Rob Wilkinson Neutralizes Power of Debuting Thiago Santos at PFL 1 2023". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- "7 PFL fighters punished for drug tests; multiple bout results overturned". MMA Junkie. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- "2023 PFL 4 lineup set: Brendan Loughnane, Robert Wilkinson, Thiago Santos return to action June 8". MMA Junkie. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- Martin, Damon (31 May 2023). "PFL champ Rob Wilkinson pulled from 2023 season due to positive drug test". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- AlexBehunin (31 May 2023). "PFL champ Rob Wilkinson pulled from PFL 4 following failed drug test". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- Chris Post (24 September 2021). "Former UFC middleweight, Rob Wilkinson to make Pro boxing debut". fightnewsaustralia.com.
- Chris Post (1 November 2021). "Former UFC fighter Rob Wilkinson keeps busy with boxing win". fightnewsaustralia.com.
- "AFC 15: Rob Wilkinson & Alex Volkanovski victorious in title fights". Fight News Australia. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "Australian Fighting Championships 15 Results | Fight Sessions". www.fightsessions.com. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "brace". brace. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
- "Hex FS 21 Recap: Wilkinson and Kei claim titles with knockout wins – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- Sherdog.com. "Rob". Sherdog. Retrieved 15 April 2018.