Rob Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos PFL 1 Odds, Time, and Prediction
Former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos is making his Professional Fighters League debut on Saturday, April 1, at the 2023 PFL 1 event. He’s fighting the reigning PFL Light Heavyweight champion, Rob Wilkinson
Rob Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos is the co-main event of PFL 1, and we think this is going to be a brilliant fight. Online bookmakers think Wilkinson will win, but we don’t think the Brazilian Sledgehammer should be underestimated. Sure, he’s 1-5 in the last four years, but he’s joined the PFL with one intention – to win the PFL Light Heavyweight tournament and get ahold of the $1 million prize.
Rob Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Rob Wilkinson | -190 |
| Thiago Santos | +155 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023
- Time: ~10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN
Is Rob Wilkinson Good Enough to Add Another $1M to His Bank Account?
Last year, Rob Wilkinson won the PFL Light Heavyweight tournament, after beating Omari Akhmetov in the final. It was his fourth-straight win in the PFL, in which he’s still undefeated. But he does have two losses in his portfolio, both of which happened in the UFC.
That said, the 17-2 Australian isn’t what you’d call an elite fighter. The reason why he won the $1 million prize is that the competition wasn’t too hard last year. But winning another mil is going to be incredibly hard for this guy, especially now that Thiago Santos is there.
2023 PFL Might be Thiago Santos’ Last Dance
Rob Wilkinson might be a great striker who’s won 9 of his 17 wins by KO/TKO. However, Thiago Santos is as tough as it gets. This guy can take hard knocks. The evidence is that he’s lost only four times by this method in his nine years’ long career.
Speaking of losses, he’s got 11 of them in his portfolio, five of which happened in his last six fights. This does not sound great, but there’s a caveat – all of those losses happened to elite fighters.
The fighters in question are Jon Jones (split decision), Glover Teixeira (submission), Aleksandar Rakic (unanimous decision), Magomed Ankalaev (unanimous decision), and Jamahal Hill (technical knockout). Apart from Rakic, all of those guys are either former or current UFC champions.
Fighting such elite opponents does come with a toll. He suffered horrific injuries in the fight with Jon Jones, from which he hasn’t recovered completely. Add to that the fact that he’s already 39, and you’ll understand why online sportsbooks see him as the underdog in the PFL 1 co-main event.
Rob Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos Prediction
It’s estimated that Thiago Santos’ net worth is circa $2 million. Increasing it by half definitely sounds tempting, which is why we’re 100% sure he’s gonna go all-in in the 2023 PFL. Beating Wilkinson is particularly important for Santos as it would give him the confidence boost he needs at this point.
Pick: Thiago Santos to win
Jessie is our resident sports specialist with over 4 years of experience in sports journalism. She's worked with several prominent online sports news outlets in the past and has accrued specialist insight across a wide range of sports markets. Combined with her own love and excitement of sports, having competed at a national level during college, she aims to improve sports coverage value for our readers at GamblingNews.
