PFL Finalist Rob Wilkinson: 'People Forget My Base Was Grappling'

Rob Wilkinson is ready for anything going into his upcoming fight with Omari Akhmedov in this year’s Professional Fighters League finals. Wilkinson (16-2, 3-0 PFL) landed his spot to fight for the light heavyweight championship after scoring three inside-the-distance victories. In April, “Razor” smashed Bruce Souto with punches in the second round before stopping Viktor Pesta in June. In the playoffs, the Tasmanian-born fighter crushed Delan Monte thanks to a knee-punches combination 97 seconds into their bout. Now, only one obstacle stands between Wilkinson and the much-coveted $1 million prize. While Akhmedov is known for his grappling skills, Wilkinson remarked that he also comes from a grappling background.

“I picture him trying to take me down. He's a decent striker, but I think I'm gonna have the range and I think I'm a lot better striker. Once I start hitting him, he'll be looking to grapple, which is fine by me. I've said it a few times, just because I've had three knockouts this season, people forget my base was grappling. I used to wrestle, jiu-jitsu, that was kind of how I was winning a lot of my fights early on. I'm happy wherever the fight goes. I'm happy for him to shoot, maybe I'll take him down. It's gonna be a good fight. I'm excited for it.”

(00:00) Intro
(00:20) Knocking out Delan Monte
(01:00) Commenting on his high finishing rate
(01:38) His wish to face Antonio Carlos Jr. in the final
(03:06) Preparing for the finals in the U.S.
(03:30) Missing his family
(04:10) Commenting on his decision to move up a decision
(05:25) Competing three times in the span of a few months
(06:13) Training with Dustin Jacoby
(08:10) Preparing for anything coming from Akhmedov
(09:12) Feeling good on the feet and in striking
(10:08) Liking boxing
(10:42) Whether he would like to face Jake Paul
(11:10) Using the money to get his dog surgery
(12:13) Outro