Defending LHW Champ Rob Wilkinson Out of 2023 PFL Season After Failed Drug Test

The 2023 Professional Fighters League campaign will have to move on without defending light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson.

Wilkinson has failed a drug test following his victory over Thiago Santos at PFL 1 and has been pulled from a scheduled clash against Ty Flores at PFL 4 on June 8. Wilkinson will also miss the rest of the PFL season due to a pending suspension. MMA Mania was first to report Wilkinson’s failed drug test. The substance for which Wilkinson tested positive has not been revealed.

As a result, Flores will now face Dan Spohn at PFL 4, which takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Wilkinson vs. Flores was slated to be the card’s co-main event.

Wilkinson is just the latest — and perhaps most prominent — PFL athlete to fail a drug test following the league’s first three events. Nine fighters, including Santos, have either been fined and suspended or are facing sanctions from the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for a number of banned substances.

A two-time UFC veteran, Wilkinson enjoyed a breakthrough in 2022, besting four PFL opponents via knockout or technical knockout to capture the organization’s 205-pound championship and the $1 million prize that accompanies it. His unanimous decision triumph against Santos was his seventh straight victory since parting ways with the UFC in 2018.