At UFC Fight Night in Stockholm, Sweden this Saturday English featherweight Mike Wilkinson (8-1) will finally make his return to competition having battled through a gruelling injury timeline that kept him out of action for well over a year.
Having battled both the physical injury, as well as depression, Wilkinson feels he’s changed considerably as a fighter while working alongside the likes of Ross Pearson and coach Dean Amasinger. Wilkinson is “super pumped” to step into the Octagon at Stockholm’s Globe Arena where he will face undefeated home town fighter Niklas Backstrom (8-0).
Of course, Backstrom will step into a charged atmosphere with the backing of his countrymen. The Swede has momentum on his side having most recently submitted Tom Niinimaki at UFC Fight Night in Berlin, Germany on May 31. In contrast, Wilkinson has been starved of momentum since Jun. 8, 2013 where he suffered the first loss of his career to Rony Mariano Bezerra. Despite this, the road to recovery has provided a healthy boost in confidence and ’The Warrior’ is hungry for battle once again.
Photo by Jorden Curran
