PFL Contender Rob Wilkinson Shares Lessons Learned from Fight vs. Israel Adesanya
The #PFLPlayoffs return on Aug. 5 in New York City!
ā Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) July 31, 2022
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According to Wilkinson, his loss to reigning Israel Adesanya at UFC 221 proved to be particularly useful. In hindsight, Wilkinson wishes he followed the reigning UFC middleweight championās career path a little bit more closely.
āI definitely learned some lessons from fighting Israel. Even after
fighting him, I got invited to train with him for a while,ā
Wilkinson said at a PFL media day. āAnd even how he approached
going to the UFC, he actually turned them down for few years before
he was ready to go straight to the top.
āI feel like I was so excited to get there, but I might not have been fully ready to be there ā at least not competing against the Top 10 guys in the world. Iāve had that time off after the UFC where I took some time, I improved on my striking, I had some kickboxing, boxing fights. Now Iām ready to show Iām the best fighter in the world.ā
Wilkinson has been on a roll since parting ways with the UFC after back-to-back losses. His current four-fight winning streak includes TKO finishes of Bruce Souto and Viktor Pesta during the PFL 2022 regular season, which earned him the No. 1 seed in the light heavyweight bracket. Wilkinson will face Delan Monte in a semifinal bout at PFL 7 on Friday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The eveningās main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
Wilkinson isnāt satisified with simply making the postseason, however.
āPlayoffs werenāt the goal, the goal was winning the title,ā he said. āIāve been eager to compete and fight regularly for a few years now. Itās been a struggle since by my release from the UFC. Itās awesome to have that activity and be able to just keep fighting. Obviously youāve got to make sure youāre managing your injuries and not overtraining.ā
While Wilkinsonās knockout power has garnered the lionās share of the attention thus far during his PFL tenure, his striking has been a work in progress since he was in the UFC.
āEveryoneās talking about my striking at the moment. I donāt know if anyone realized I was heavily grappling focused when I first started,ā he said. āJust before I got into the UFC I hadnāt done much striking, I was only kind of picking it up to high level.
āIām very comfortable on the ground. Iām very happy to take him (Monte) down and submit him on the ground. I think thatās a huge part of my game. I know Iāve been showing off my striking at the moment, but havenāt stopped grappling.ā
Monte is a relatively unheralded opponent, but he made waves by stopping 2019 light heavyweight champion Emiliano Sordi just 1:32 into Round 1 of their fight at PFL 4 on June 17. Prior to that, all of Monteās success occurred on the Brazilian regional circuit.
āI can finish it anywhere,ā Wilkinson said. āIf it stays on the feet, I think Iāll knock him out pretty early. Heās pretty wild and aggressive, but his defense insāt that good. Once he feels my power heāll start looking to take me down. Iām comfortable ground and pounding or getting the submission. I wouldnāt mind getting a sub since Iāve gotten a couple knockouts in a row.ā
Wilkinson is more focused on championship gold than the $1 million prize that accompanies it. Itās something that has driven him since the beginning of his MMA career.
āThe million dollars is huge, but thatās just a bonus to me,ā he said. āThe goal is becoming a world champion. Thatās what Iām gonna stay focused on. Thatās been a goal of mine for 13 years and Iām excited to fulfill that.ā
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