Wilkinson 10th PFL fighter suspended in 6 weeks

Rob Wilkinson, the PFL’s light heavyweight champion last year, has been suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), according to a meeting agenda posted Tuesday on the commission’s website.

No reason for Wilkinson’s suspension was given. He will have his temporary suspension extended or have a disciplinary hearing at the NSAC monthly meeting June 20 in Las Vegas, according to the agenda.

Wilkinson is the 10th PFL fighter suspended by the commission over the past six weeks. The other nine were due to failed drug tests. The PFL has removed Wilkinson from its 2023 light heavyweight season. He would have competed last Thursday in a second regular-season bout had he been eligible.

The PFL has said it has engaged the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which runs the UFC’s drug-testing program, and will begin using the firm as soon as later this year.

Wilkinson (18-2) was on a seven-fight winning streak, including a PFL 2023 season-opening unanimous decision over UFC veteran Thiago Santos on April 1 in Las Vegas. Santos failed a drug test in relation to that bout and was also suspended. The fight could end up being overturned by the commission to a no-contest.

Wilkinson, 31, won four fights last year by KO/TKO to win the PFL light heavyweight championship. The Australian defeated Omari Akhmedov via second-round TKO in the title fight in November. Wilkinson has fought two times in the UFC, including a loss to current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

The commission will vote on adjudication agreements for suspended PFL fighters Rizvan Kuniev, Mohammad Fakhreddine, Cezar Ferreira, William Fleury, Daniel Torres and Santos at the meeting next week, according to the agenda.