Rob Wilkinson is confident he would have turned things around in the UFC if he was given the chance, although it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Wilkinson (17-2) lost twice in the octagon, including to former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, before he was released by the promotion in 2018. He hasn’t lost since and eventually found a home with the PFL where he became light heavyweight champion.
Wilkinson, who debuted during the 2022 PFL season, finished all four of his fights, including a doctor’s stoppage TKO of Omari Akhmedov at the 2022 PFL Championships this past Friday to win the 205-pound title and $1 million at 30.
“I have no doubt I would have gone on a win streak if I was given another opportunity to be in the UFC,” Wilkinson told MMA Junkie Radio. “Losing those two fights, I definitely learned a lot and definitely it drove me, not being able to fight regularly and only had two MMA fights over a four-year period before signing with the PFL. I managed to improve a lot without actually competing too much. So I would have been improving in the UFC, and I believe I would have won a lot of fights, but it is what it is, and I’m happy where I’m at right now.”
Although Wilkinson captured a title in a major promotion, he doesn’t think he’ll be ranked as one of the top light heavyweights in the world. However, he’d be happy to prove it.
“I’d happily fight any of those top guys in the UFC or any other promotion,” Wilkinson said. “But I understand that most people won’t be considering me one of the best light heavyweights in the world. Like I’m not gonna be probably in the top five rankings in any website or anything like that, but that is my goal. I’m gonna keep fighting, keep winning until I’m considered the best light heavyweight in the world. That’s exactly what my next goal is.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the 2022 PFL Championships.