Mike Wilkinson (fighter)

Mike Wilkinson (born 15 September 1987) is an English mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has competed for the UFC, Absolute Championship Berkut, and was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes.

The Ultimate Fighter
In September 2012 it was announced that Wilkinson was selected for The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes.

Wilkinson had his first fight against Grant Blackler of the Australian team. Wilkinson defeated Blackler in the first round via submission. Leading up to his next fight in the tournament, which was set to be against Colin Fletcher, Wilkinson was injured in training and was replaced by Australian Richie Vaculik. Wilkinson was still given a chance to earn a UFC contract at the Finale.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Despite getting injured leading up to his second fight on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, Wilkinson was given a fight in the UFC. He faced Brendan Loughnane at UFC on FX 6. Wilkinson was victorious via unanimous decision.

Wilkinson next fought Rony Jason at UFC on Fuel TV 10. Jason defeated Wilkinson by technical submission due to a triangle choke in the first round, giving Wilkinson his first professional MMA loss.

After more than a year out of action, Wilkinson returned to the octagon on 4 October 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story and fought Niklas Bäckström. In a significant upset, Wilkinson won the fight via KO due to punches in the first round. The win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Wilkinson was expected to face Alan Omer on 20 June 2015 at UFC Fight Night 69. However, Wilkinson suffered a shoulder injury and was removed from the card.

Wilkinson faced Makwan Amirkhani on 27 February 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Absolute Championship Berkut
Wilkinson faced Soso Nizharadze on 15 July 2015 at ACB 41. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Wilkinson faced Brendan Loughnane on 11 March 2017 at ACB 53. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One time)