Fox Sports Australia’s Nick Walshaw brings you all the latest news and views in Aussie and global MMA in his weekly column, The Takedown.

Five years after being cut from the UFC, Australia’s Rob Wilkinson now says he would beat every light heavyweight on their roster, declaring: “I’m the best in the world at this weight, and I’m ready to prove it”.

Sent packing from the UFC way back in 2018 — and after being stopped by a hyped rookie named Israel Adesanya — a completely overhauled Wilkinson is now welcoming talk of an Octagon return and what he says would be victory over reigning UFC light heavyweight champ Jamahal Hill.

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Back in November, Wilkinson announced the first stage of his incredible comeback by winning the PFL light heavyweight title, which also secured the Tasmanian US$1 million in prizemoney.

While now readying to defend that strap again this year, the 31-year-old says he would definitely be interested in “exploring” all sorts of fight options, including a possible UFC return once his contract is up, or even a cross promotion event against the likes of Bellator champ Vadim Nemkov.

Wilkinson has also surprisingly credited Adesanya for helping aid a resurrection that, he insists, will see him rated his division’s greatest this year.

“I believe I’m the best light heavyweight on the planet — and this year I want to prove that,” Wilkinson said this week from Denver, Colorado, where he now lives and trains at Factory X alongside UFC fighters like Anthony Smith, Dustin Jacoby and Cody Brundage.

“Right now, I’m contracted to PFL. But a UFC return is definitely an option I’d like to explore down the track.

“It still gets at me that I fought there twice, and lost twice.

“So I’d definitely like to go back and show I belong there.

“Would be awesome to get myself that belt too.”

So as for how a fight goes between yourself and the reigning champ?

“I’d love that fight,” he said of a showdown with Hill. “Jamahal is good, but also looks awkward — gets off balance and out of position a lot.

“And I’d capitalise on that.

“I also know he hits hard but my overall game is better.

“I’d actually love to do a cross promotion title fight with the UFC, Bellator, whoever … it would be awesome”.

Back in 2017, Wilkinson was signed up to the UFC middleweight division after going undefeated in his first 11 fights.

However, the Aussie then lost his Octagon debut against Siyar Bahadurzada before, just five months later, being stopped at UFC 221 by a debutant who has since morphed into UFC superstar Adesanya.

After that fight, Wilkinson was cut.

A move which then saw him effectively disappear over four years to bulk up to light heavyweight while also working hard on his striking game – which saw him mix three kickboxing fights, and a professional boxing debut in with two MMA bouts, all of which he won.

But the real key?

“I actually went and trained with Adesanya,” he explains. “Was asked to go help him prepare a couple of fights after ours.

“And while there I learned how Adesanya’s team had actually said ‘no’ to the UFC — and for a few years. They actually waited right until he was ready to go straight to the top.

“Then that’s what he did.

“So I knew, when that next opportunity came for me, I needed to be ready, too. So I spent four years working behind closed doors to get ready … and all while my goal of becoming a world champion never changed”.

FEUD OVER AS WHITTAKER’S TWO-FIGHT RETURN PLAN REVEALED

Robert Whittaker says his “schoolyard feud” with Israel Adesanya is officially over after the pair shared a surprise embrace at UFC 284 — yet Australia’s first UFC champ is still promising to “take the skull” of his arch rival before the year is out.

Almost seven months on from his win over Italian Marvin Vettori, Whittaker is now itching to get back into the Octagon as part of what, he says, is a two-fight plan for 2023 — the latter of which would almost certainly be a title shot.

On Sunday week, reigning UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will defend for the first time at UFC 287, and in a hyped rematch against Adesanya — the man whose title he took via upset back in November.

Whittaker, meanwhile, is gunning for an Octagon return in May and has named South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis as a potential rival.

Should both men win their respective fights, they will then almost certainly be pitched into a blockbuster trilogy showdown — with Australia the early favourite to play host.

But as for how hostile a third buildup will be?

Only last month, and in a wonderful twist to their ongoing storyline, the Trans Tasman rivals stunned onlookers when they shared a brief hug when ringside after UFC 284, having just watched mutual mate Alexander Volkanovski beaten in an incredible championship headliner.

Afterwards, Adesanya even shared the embrace with his seven million Instagram followers, captioning the photo with: ‘Me mate Rob’.

Asked this week about the surprise encounter between two of the UFC’s greatest rivals, Whittaker laughed: “Well, it didn’t surprise me because I walked up to him.”

You did?

“I’m not going to sit in the crowd, trying to avoid looking right because there’s some guy there I don’t get along with,” the Sydneysider continued, still grinning.

“I’m not a school kid.

“Plus, I don’t care anymore.

“We’re all in the same business. And he and I, we will fight again.

“I know that.

“So there’s no point having schoolyard feuds. I’m a grown ass man with four kids … silly little things like that stop making sense.”

Told plenty of fighters do get themselves into silly little things that make no sense, especially at UFC events, The Reaper continued: “It certainly happens.

“But I’ve been at this a long time now. I have to put my energy elsewhere.

“Plus, it changes nothing in terms of the fight.

“Next time we’re facing off in Octagon, I’m going to try and take his skull. And he will want to take mine.

“But it’s no more than that.”

VOLK’S RINGSIDE PLEDGE FOR TSZYU

Alexander Volkanovski says he wants to be ringside when an undefeated Tim Tszyu challenges for the unified super welterweight crown – while also praising the Aussie boxer for “revealing a new layer” against hyped American rival Tony Harrison.

As first revealed by Fox Sports Australia, a push is underway to have both Volkanovski and Tszyu fight Las Vegas world title blockbusters within days of each other during the American summer.

Should the UFC featherweight champ fight first, he will then stay on in the world’s fight capital to cheer Tszyu, whose most recent win over Harrison he commentated for Main Event.

Volkanovski added that the pair also shared the same mindset, as proved by Tszyu fighting Harrison instead of waiting out his unification bout against Jermell Charlo.

That fight came only weeks after the UFC champ went up in weight to challenge lightweight king Islam Makachev.

“On the night of Tim’s fight, I couldn’t tell you how many people came up to me – behind the cameras – and said ‘I don’t know why Tim is doing this, don’t know why he’s risking the Charlo fight to take on Harrison’,” Volkanovski revealed.

“But I could see why.

“To me, it made perfect sense because we’re the same.

“Tim believes in himself and realises when he has an opportunity.

“So for us to now fight a week apart, that would be incredible. (Laughs) I’m just hoping I fight first so I can then hang around to watch him fight.”

Asked his thoughts on the Harrison win, which saw Tszyu stop the former world champ via a barrage of uppercuts in the ninth, Volkanovski continued: “Best performance I’ve seen from Tim, who has always been a real pressure fighter, a power fighter.

“But technically, he was right there, too.

“The top guys like Harrison, they’ve dealt with all sorts of styles so you need to give them more

“And Tim really showed a new layer.

“Showed he can still be in your face, still make you miss, while getting his shots coming from all sorts of directions — uppercuts, body rips, changing the look of the same punch.

“Even that beautiful hook he was throwing — it looked like a jab, but he changed the angle knowing he wanted to slip and parry.

“He kept catching Tony early with little things like that. Making subtle changes while still putting the pressure on.

“And that’s hard to do when you’re in a firefight.”