A re-invented and re-invigorated Rob Wilkinson has already taken one big bite out of the apple. Now, he returns to the table for more.
The Australian will open defense of his Professional Fighters League light heavyweight title with his first assignment of 2023, as he locks horns with Thiago Santos in the PFL 1 co-headliner on Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Wilkinson steps back into the spotlight on a six-fight tear. He last appeared at the 2022 PFL Championships, where he nailed down his $1 million prize with a second-round technical knockout of Omari Akhmedov in their Nov. 25 light heavyweight final. Santos, meanwhile, has lost five of his past six bouts. The Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran last competed on Aug. 6, when he succumbed to a volley of punches and elbows from Jamahal Hill in the fourth round of their UFC on ESPN 40 main event.
As Wilkinson and Santos tie up any remaining loose ends ahead of their forthcoming clash at 205 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
31: Years of age for Wilkinson, who was born on Feb. 22, 1992 in Hobart, Tasmania.
7: Wilkinson victories by submission, accounting for 41% of his career total (17). His methods of choice: three rear-naked chokes, two guillotine chokes, one triangle choke and one armbar. Wilkinson holds nine other victories by knockout or technical knockout (53%) and one more by decision (6%).
10: Rounds completed by Wilkinson as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on one occasion and did so triumphantly, having outpointed Ben Kelleher to a unanimous decision at a Submission Fight Night show in August 2013.
82: Seconds needed for Wilkinson to punch out Daniel Almeida under the Hex Fight Series banner on April 9, 2021. Nearly two years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
.819: Cumulative winning percentage between the two opponents—Israel Adesanya and Siyar Bahadurzada—who have beaten Wilkinson. They sport a combined record of 47-10-1.
39: Years of age for Santos, who was born in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 7, 1984.
15: Santos wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 68% of his career total (15). His list of victims includes Jan Blachowicz, Jimi Manuwa, Anthony Smith, Jack Hermansson and Nate Marquardt. Santos owns one other win by submission (5%)—he put away Eneas Souza with a third-round rear-naked choke at a Watch Out Combat Show event in December 2011—and six more by decision (27%).
9: Knockdowns landed by Santos as a UFC middleweight, placing him fifth on the promotion’s all-time list at 185 pounds. Only Anderson Silva (13), Marquardt (12), Adesanya (12) and Yoel Romero (10) have been credited with more.
2: Sub-minute stoppages on the Santos resume. He took care of Ronny Markes with a body kick and follow-up punches in 53 seconds at UFC Fight Night 38 on March 23, 2014 and cut down Steve Bosse with a head kick in 29 seconds at UFC Fight Night 70 on June 27, 2015.
239: Combined victories between the 11 opponents—Hill, Magomed Ankalaev, Aleksandar Rakic, Glover Teixeira, Jon Jones, David Branch, Eric Spicely, Gegard Mousasi, Uriah Hall, Cezar Ferreira and Vicente Luque—who have defeated Santos. They boast a cumulative .785 winning percentage at 239-68-4.
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