Years before capturing PFL gold, Rob Wilkinson found himself in the cage against Israel Adesanya, who was making his UFC debut. This bout ultimately marked Wilkinson`s final appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The most significant difference between that early UFC fight and Wilkinson`s later PFL triumphs was the weight division. After his UFC contract ended, Wilkinson moved up to light heavyweight, where he has since achieved considerable success. Following a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, he joined the PFL organization and went on to win their 2022 light heavyweight season championship at 205 pounds.
Currently, he is once again competing in the PFL World Tournament, which offers a substantial prize, and is set to play a role in the promotion`s expansion into Australia. His next challenge is against seasoned UFC and Bellator veteran Phil Davis in the opening round of the new tournament format, a matchup he views as the toughest possible start.
The Grueling Weight Cut for the Adesanya Fight
Recalling his bout against Israel Adesanya at UFC 221, Rob Wilkinson described the immense difficulty of reaching the middleweight limit. While he had previously accepted a short-notice fight at middleweight, he considers the cut for the Adesanya fight to be the most brutal of his career.
He explained that he started competing at middleweight as a 19-year-old, juggling weightlifting with cutting weight. Before facing “Izzy” in the UFC, he was forced to lose approximately 30 pounds within a mere five days, without the assistance of a dietician or weight-cutting specialist.
“I was kind of just doing it on what I had done before,” he stated, “and I really noticed in that fight that I was not able to recover and I gassed out very early. I had no energy.” After that difficult experience, he made the firm decision to never attempt competing at middleweight again and resolved to move up a division.
Following his release from the UFC, he took some time off and decided it was an opportune moment to build more muscle. His goal was to avoid being an undersized light heavyweight, acknowledging that a 20-pound jump was significant. He subsequently took kickboxing fights around 210 pounds, felt significantly better, and realized that the light heavyweight division was where he belonged.
Adesanya Commented on Wilkinson`s Weight Struggles
Wilkinson vividly remembers the official weigh-ins for UFC 221 in 2018, which took place on stage before a large audience. He visibly struggled just to climb the few steps onto the stage and initially missed the middleweight limit, eventually making weight after stripping down completely using the towel.
Comparing his past cuts to his current methods, Wilkinson described them as “pretty bad.” He detested the process, calling it “rough,” and felt consumed by the stress of making weight to the point that he couldn`t even focus on the upcoming fight until the weigh-in was successfully completed.
The stress was so high that he recalled Yoel Romero, who was in the main event of UFC 221, also missing weight despite having less weight to lose than Wilkinson. He speculated that Romero perhaps made a “smarter” choice by missing weight to ensure he was better prepared for the fight itself.
Wilkinson recounted his state on the scales: needing to be completely naked and barely able to walk, relying on his coach for support simply to stand. He remembers the immediate face-off with Adesanya right after making weight.
During the face-off, “Izzy” verbally taunted Wilkinson about his condition. Seeing how depleted he was, Adesanya commented that Wilkinson looked “f—ed” and had no time to recover. Wilkinson had less than 24 hours to rehydrate before the fight, and Adesanya clearly noticed his struggle. Wilkinson`s only thought at that moment was to get water.
