Tassie’s latest world champion Rob ‘Razor’ Wilkinson returns home as his bank account skyrockets
Moments after Tassie’s world champion mixed martial artist Rob ‘Razor’ Wilkinson touched down in Hobart, his monster $1.6m payday hit his bank account. See what’s next for the star >>
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TASMANIA’S world champion mixed martial artist Rob ‘Razor’ Wilkinson touched down at Hobart Airport on Wednesday, and moments later learnt his monster $1.6m payday had hit his bank account.
Wilkinson, 30, returned home with a much bigger profile after the beastly cage fighter recently smashed his way to a world title with a dominant victory over Russian Omari Akhmedov in the Professional Fighters League light heavyweight championship bout in New York.
Upon arriving home on Tassie soil to the waiting arms of his family, the Hobart fighter said his new-found fame was still sinking in.
“All of this kind of stuff feels a bit weird that people are here when I arrive home and filming and all of that but I’m just excited to see my family and friends and celebrate with them which is exciting,” he said.
The mixed martial artist said achieving his long time goal of a world title also took some time to process, while also revealing he had only just received his monster winner’s payday minutes earlier.
“It [becoming a world champion] wasn’t sinking in and then a couple of days after the fight I woke up in the hotel and the [championship] belt was on the chair next to me and I thought that was pretty cool and it started sinking in then.
“That’s been a goal of mine for over 10 years now and I’ve dedicated most of my life to that so it means a lot to me.
“And I actually literally just checked my bank account [after landing in Hobart] and I just got paid (AU $1.6m) now so that’s kind of exciting.”
Wilkinson revealed he wanted to be ‘sensible’ with his winnings but that he was fighting the urge to splash some of his new-found cash.
“I’ll be looking to buy a house with it but I’m in no rush,” he said.
“But I’m kind of tossing up how much money I should waste on a nice car, but maybe spending too much money on a car wouldn’t be too sensible.
“I wouldn’t mind a Range Rover but they’re pretty expensive so I don’t know if I want to blow most of my money on that,” he laughed.
As for what’s next, Wilkinson said he would enjoy the summer in Hobart with family and friends before setting his sights on his new goal.
“With winning it [the title], my contract means I’m signed on for another two years with the PFL so my goal is to win it three years in a row.”
Wilkinson said he was happy in the PFL but would consider offers from the UFC in the future as he aimed to be recognised as the number one light heavyweight in the world.
Former Clarence trio departs club
The exodus of players at Clarence following the ugly exit of much-loved senior coach Peter Ryan has begun. See the details.
NBL: Roth admits player absences hurting JackJumpers campaign
After slumping to a 2-4 start to the NBL season, Tasmania JackJumpers coach Scott Roth has admitted the absence of two key stars is severely hurting his side.