Rob Wilkinson has the ability to finish fights, with all but one of his victories coming before the final bell, and that wasn’t on any more of a display in his career than in his debut PFL season in 2022. There, Wilkinson scored finishes of Bruce Souto, Viktor Pesta, Delan Monte and Omari Akhmedov to capture that season’s PFL light heavyweight championship. A no-contest against Thiago Santos spoiled his 2023 season, but Wilkinson rebounded in April with a first-round finish of Tom Breese.

 

Joshua Silveira and his pressure-filled grappling got him plenty of attention in the PFL over the past couple of years. The former regional light heavyweight champion competed in the 2022 PFL Challenger Series and made it to the light heavyweight semifinals that season. Then, last year, Silveira scored first-round finishes of Sam Kei, Delan Monte and Ty Flores before falling short in the championship bout against Impa Kasanaganay. Silveira, however, got back to business in April, scoring a first-round finish of 2022 PFL welterweight champion Sadibou Sy.

 

With these two entering tonight as the two top fighters at light heavyweight, the winner of this bout locks his spot in the playoffs, one step closer to securing PFL light heavyweight gold.

 

 

Round 1

 

Low kick from Silveira. Round kick to the body by Silveira. Silveira tries a body lock, but Wilkinson presses Silveira back to the fence. Silveira looks to wrap his arm around the head, but Wilkinson fights him off. Silveira with another level change and Wilkinson fires off knees in response. Round kick to the body by Silveira. Left hand by Silveira. Wilkinson presses Silveira against the fence again. Wilkinson landing a couple of left hands and knees on the inside. Silveira is able to separate and land a body kick.

 

 

Silveira tries to press Wilkinson against the fence now. The two end up returning to the center of the SmartCage. Silveira measures his distance and lands another body kick. Wilkinson sprawls to stop a takedown attempt, and Silveira ends up pressing him against the fence again. Wilkinson lands a couple of left hands, as Silveira continues to press. Wilkinson lands a knee before separation. Silveira lands a left hand, and now Wilkinson is the one pressing. Wilkinson scores the takedown and works his way to Silveira’s back. Wilkinson throws a couple of knees to the thighs of Silveira.

 

 

Round 2

 

Round kick by Silveira to the body, and Wilkinson partially catches it. Wilkinson lands a couple of shots inside and presses Silveira against the SmartCage. Wilkinson lands a knee before the separation. Left hand by Wilkinson. Silveira pressures and grabs a leg, looking for another takedown. Wilkinson landing a couple of uppercuts against the fence. Wilkinson lands a couple of knees to the body. Silveira backs Wilkinson up with a left hand. Strong right hand by Silveira. Wilkinson goes for a high kick but misses. Wilkinson presses Silveira against the fence again to stop the offense.

 

 

Wilkinson is able to get Silveira to the mat and starts to get hooks in as he gets to Silvera’s back. Wilkinson gets to Silveira’s neck and looks for a choke. Silveira avoids it, but Wilkinson still has a hold of him. Silveira gets back to his feet, but Wilkinson still presses him against the fence. Wilkinson brings Silveira back down with about 35 seconds left to go. Silveira finally gets back to his feet, but the bell sounds.

 

 

Round 3

 

Front kick by Wilkinson. High kick by Silveira partially lands. One-two by Silveira. Body kick by Silveira and another clinch up, and Wilkinson brings Silveira back to the fence again. Silveira quickly gets off, and he gets a hold of Wilkinson’s neck. Wilkinson struggles but gets out of it. Silveira now throws an overhand and goes for the takedown. One-two by Silveira. Wilkinson shoots in, but Silveira avoids it and steps over. But Silveira goes too high, and Wilkinson steps over and into top control.

 

 

Now Wilkinson reaches around and gets to Silvera’s back. Wilkinson appears to be looking for a choke. Silveira works his way out, but Wilkinson is right back to pressing him against the fence. Wilkinson lands an uppercut and looks for a takedown, but Silveira counters and gets to Wilkinson’s back. Silveira appears to have a body lock briefly, but Wilkinson gets that lock off. Silveira is looking for a neck crank, but Wilkinson fights that off. Both men fire off last shots until the bell.

 

 

 

OFFICIAL RESULT

 

Rob Wilkinson defeats Josh Silveira by split decision (29-28x2, 28-29) in the Light Heavyweight Division.

  • Wilkinson clinches a spot in the 2024 PFL Playoffs and is in 1st place for now
  • Silveira is not eliminated. Remaining 2 spots will be decided by the result of Impa Kasanganay vs. Jakob Nedoh