Rob Wilkinson was undefeated as a pro fighter when he arrived in the UFC, but only lasted two fights before being released.
You might think that decision was somewhat harsh, especially when the second loss was to a fighter by the name of Israel Adesanya, who would be the undisputed world champion just 18 months later.
But while Adesanya was climbing the ranks and chasing Robert Whittaker’s gold title belt, Wilkinson was focusing on one thing – improvement.
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“I was just trying to get those fights I needed to get back into a world class promotion like the PFL,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“I had a number of kickboxing fights, I had a pro boxing fight. COVID kind of slowed things down, I was only able to have two MMA fights.
“It’s just been a slow process, but I’ve been working – so when I finally got the shot, I was ready to go.”
Watch the 2022 PFL playoffs – featuring Stevie Ray, Rob Wilkinson and Kayla Harrison – live, exclusive and on demand on Stan Sport
Whether it was kickboxing, boxing, or MMA, all he did was win – and then kept doing so when the Professional Fighters League came calling.
The 28-year-old got his chance in the 2022 season, and has dominated, with three wins via stoppage so far this year, the longest fight going less than a minute into the second round.
The most-recent, and most important, lasted just 97 seconds, a devastating knee sending Brazilian Delan Monte to the canvas, and Wilkinson into the play-off finals – with $1 million (USD) on the line.
The structure of the PFL is relatively uncommon in any combat sport, with a league system used in lieu of having match makers and bookers creating cards.
That win over Monte was the semi-finals of the light heavyweight tournament, and he now moves on to face Russia’s Omari Akhmedov in the final on November 26 (AEDT).
“I really like the matchup for myself,” Wilkinson said.
“I think he’s going to be looking to grapple and wrestle with me – I’ve got the range on him, I think I’m the better striker – honestly, I think I can beat him everywhere.”
Each weight class in the PFL presents the winner with a giant cheque for $1 million USD at the end of the fight ($1.6 million), with the runner up pocketing $320,000 AUD.
Wilkinson conceded that the pay disparity is huge between winning and losing, but a title belt means more than the cash.
“It’s a little bit different, I’m sure I’ll feel even more different on the night,” he said of the money.
“For me, winning a world title is huge – that’s been my goal since I started training 13 years’ ago. Even when people are saying ‘you’re in training camp for a world title’ that’s still kind of unbelievable, but also that’s what I’ve been working towards.
“The money’s awesome and it can definitely change my life, and it’s nice to start getting paid for all the effort I’ve been putting in, but my main focus is to be a world champion and win that belt.”
To give it even more prestige, he has the chance to achieve his world title dream at one of the most historic venues in all of sports – Madison Square Garden.
“It’d just be a memory I’ll cherish forever and something I can be proud of for the rest of my life. I know we’ve had two MMA world champions, but we’ve never had any from Tasmania, so that would be nice!”
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