Rob Wilkinson vs Omari Akhmedov, Kayla Harrison vs Larissa Pacheco, latest news, results, highlights, video
Tasmania’s Rob Wilkinson has made MMA history by becoming the first Australian to win a Professional Fighters League World Championship title.
Nicknamed ‘Razor,’ Wilkinson lived up to that moniker by splitting Omari Akhmedov open above his eye with a vicious knee in the second round before pummelling the Russian with heavy punches on Saturday (AEDT).
Akhmedov was brave to finish the round but, bleeding profusely from a deep cut, the ringside doctor made the right decision to stop the fight at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
Watch the 2022 PFL World Championship featuring Rob Wilkinson and Kayla Harrison on November 26, streaming ad-free, live and exclusive on Stan Sport
Tasmanian pummels his way to $1.5m
Winning the light heavyweight title earned Wilkinson a cool $1.5 million and completed a dominant PFL season.
“The million dollars is awesome but this belt is something I’ve been dreaming of from 10 years ago. A lot of hard work, behind the scenes, to get here. I’m a world champion baby!”
Wilkinson disagreed with the assessment that he had made the victory look easy.
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“Did that look f—ing easy? I’m exhausted, that guy is tough as hell. I’ve been grinding away behind the scenes for a long time, ever since I got released from the UFC.”
Wilkinson credited his 2018 loss to Israel Adesanya – which led to his UFC release – as the wake-up call he needed to ignite his career.
“I actually took a really big lesson from Israel and their coaching,” Wilkinson said.
Razor’s’ true blue post-fight interview
“They didn’t sign with the UFC until they were ready to go straight to the top.
“And that’s what I just kept telling myself for the four years. Fighting on the local scene, waiting for COVID to get over, grinding away, because I knew my opportunity would come and I was going to go straight to the top. And that’s what I f—ing did!”
Wilkinson, 30, landed 99 strikes to 37 against the game but physically outmatched Akhmedov.
“He was saved by the bell,” Wilkinson said.
“I was ready to go back out there. Everyone thought I was a first round fighter but I’ve got at least two in me.”
Before the fight, Wilkinson said he would look to spend the $1.5m on property.
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