Scouting Report: Rob Wilkinson

Rob Wilkinson

Born: Feb. 22, 1992 (Age: 31) in Hobart, Australia
Division: Light Heavyweight
Height: 6’3”
Reach: 80”
Record: 17-2 (4-0 PFL)
Association: Hybrid Training Centre
Stage of Career: Prime

Summary: Wilkinson was a decent grappler who lacked striking when he was in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but he has shown vastly improved standup in the Professional Fighters League—so much so that he now uses more than grappling to win fights. It still has limitations, as his hand speed remains somewhat slow and his left hook and overhand right are flawed, ineffective punches. However, he now has a solid, hefty jab and a nice right cross to go along with a sneaky and effective right uppercut. Furthermore, he throws punches in bunches, not just one-twos but one-two-one-two, overwhelming opponents with straight blows. His most powerful strike is actually his knee in the clinch, a thunderous, accurate shot that has finished off or wholly knocked out multiple opponents. In terms of grappling, he has effective takedowns in the clinch along with solid submissions and ground-and-pound, but he sorely lacks top control. However, he cannot be exploited much in the grappling department, as he is difficult to take down and outstanding at getting back to his feet. There are still questions about Wilkinson in terms of chin and cardio, neither of which has been tested since he moved up to 205 pounds.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Slightly below average.
• Jab: Thrown with solid technique and some impact but a little slow.
• Cross: Straight and technical with power but lacks speed.
• Left Hook: Telegraphed, slow and flawed without enough rotation.
• Overhand Right: An awkward arm punch that lacks power.
• Uppercuts: Fairly technical, accurate and somewhat powerful. He hurt Bruce Souto with it and set up the knockout sequence.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Punches in bunches and does so nicely.
• Favorite Combination(s): The one-two or even the one-two-one-two, as he fires a long series of alternating straights. It helps make up for his lack of hand speed, though it puts him at risk of being countered.
• Leg Kicks: Slow and a little telegraphed, but they have solid power to them.
• Body Kicks: Almost never throws them.
• Head Kicks: Almost never throws them.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.

Wilkinson has become a solid striker, though his repertoire remains limited. His hands lack speed, so he relies on a solid, hard jab and a nice but somewhat slow right cross. He makes up for his slowness by throwing punches in bunches, normally an endless onslaught of straights, and has not yet faced opponents who can counter him from there. These punches are hard when they land. Unfortunately for Wilkinson, his left hook and overhand right are currently flawed and weak, rendering them ineffective. However, that is not true for his right uppercut, which is plenty technical and powerful, and it is accurate enough to nail opponents who hang out too long in the pocket. His striking is limited to his punches, as he has an average leg kick and little else.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: At 6-foot-3, he is a huge, powerful light heavyweight.
• Technique: Understands the fundamental positions well.
• Knees: Throws hard shots aimed at the solar plexus. He has used them to finish off or outright knock out several opponents now.
• Elbows: Does not throw them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: He usually moves after being hit with a knee and often uses his own knees or attempts to grapple to stop attacks.

Wilkinson is most dangerous in the clinch thanks to his powerful knees, which are aimed accurately at the midsection. These have finished off or knocked out opponents before. Defensively, he is difficult though not impossible to take down in the clinch, and he has yet to be beaten up at close range since he moved up to light heavyweight.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Almost never attempts to do so. He prefers the clinch.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: He managed to take down Israel Adesanya several times, though he could not keep him there. More recently, he took down Souto at will, including drawing out his hips well and executing an outside trip.
• Takedown Defense: Wilkinson can be taken down, but it requires a strong attempt by a good grappler, usually with setup.
• Ability to Return to Feet: He can either butt scoot to the cage and get up technically or use a whizzer to stand up immediately.
• Submissions: Probably not a major weapon at his current level, but he can lock in guillotines and rear-naked chokes ably enough, utilizing a powerful squeeze against weaker opponents.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Difficult to say since he has never been put in a disadvantageous position for long.
• Top Control: Allows opponents way too much room to immediately get back up. He made a bizarre attempt to control the ankles, rather than the wrists or hips, against Souto. It failed.
• Ground-and-Pound: Hard to gauge fully since the PFL does not allow elbows to downed opponents. However, when given enough separation, he can throw a number of stout, accurate punches, primarily from the right side.

Wilkinson is a solid grappler. He has a number of takedowns from the clinch and can defeat opponents who lack sufficiently good takedown defense through those means alone. Once on top, he can attack with submissions by utilizing his fine squeeze, mostly through guillotines and rear-naked chokes. It is hard to pin down his full ability to ground-and-pound due to the PFL’s ban on grounded elbows, but his punches are plenty effective when he is not tied up. Unfortunately, Wilkinson sorely lacks top control, and oftentimes, his takedowns simply lead to the opponent getting back up a few seconds later. However, no grappler has managed to exploit Wilkinson. He is difficult to take down and excels at getting back to his feet.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Tremendously powerful but not especially dynamic.
• Cardio: It failed him badly at middleweight. Since moving up to 205 pounds, his fights have all resulted in finishes. He looked fine fighting at a fast pace for two rounds against Omari Akhmedov.
• Chin: Hard to say since he has yet to be cracked hard at light heavyweight. Likely at least serviceable.
• Recuperative Powers: Difficult to measure.
• Intelligence: His massive striking improvement in the PFL has to be credited at least partly to his IQ. Wilkinson has always been a generally calm fighter who does not make many mistakes.