Rob Wilkinson was originally meant to fight Phil Davis in the first round of the 2024 PFL Light Heavyweight tournament. However, it was announced in late March that Davis is out for the season. As a result, the former PFL champ got himself a new opponent โ Tom Breese.
Rob Wilkinson vs. Tom Breese Odds
MoneylineOddsRob Wilkinson-200Tom Breese+160
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When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Friday, April 12, 2024
Time: ~10:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN
Rob Wilkinsonโs Road to Another $1M Starts on April 12
Rob Wilkinson is 17-2-1 overall with a 5-0 record since coming to the PFL in 2022. The year he joined this promotion was when he won the $1 million prize for winning the Light Heavyweight tournament. He did it by winning every single one of his fights by stoppage.
The mustachioed Aussie was expected to win the tournament last year as well. It looked like that after he beat former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos by unanimous decision. However, it later turned out that Wilkinson was juicing, so he was kicked out of the tournament.
More than a year later, heโs coming back, and heโs determined to get himself another $1 million. He was meant to fight against former Bellator champ Phil Davis in the first round of the PFL Light Heavyweight tournament, but Davis is removed from the roster for the 2024 season. Instead, heโs going to fight against Tom Breese.
Tom Breese Making His Proper PFL Debut
Tom Breese is an English fighter whoโs 18-4 overall with most of his fights happening in the UFC. He left Dana Whiteโs promotion in 2021 and fought in several other organizations including KSW and Levels Fight League, which is where he made his light heavyweight debut in the summer of 2023.
His second-ever light heavyweight fight was in PFL Europe. It was his most recent fight, fought in December 2023. He won it by submission in the first round, which is what prompted PFLโs management to select him as Phil Davisโs replacement.
Breese is a tall guy but is skinny and not too powerful. In fact, in the past, he fought in the middleweight and welterweight divisions. He doesnโt hit hard, but heโs an expert when it comes to grappling, the evidence being that 12 of his 18 wins happened by submission.
Rob Wilkinson vs. Tom Breese Prediction
Tom Breese is someone who looks capable of submitting almost any opponent in the PFL. However, for that to happen against Rob Wilkinson, he needs to get really close to him. Thatโs something thatโs not very likely to happen as Wilkinson is a hell of a striker.
He also has decent grappling skills, so even if Breese gets him in a clinch, it doesnโt mean itโs game over for the Aussie. In fact, a much more likely scenario is that Wilkinson will utilize his power to beat Breese by KO/TKO early on in the fight.
Pick: Rob Wilkinson