When he’s not focusing on “the biggest part” of himself, which is working with vulnerable children alongside his father, Luke Trainer is furthering his MMA career.
After over a year out of action, “The Gent,” a nickname given to him by his grandmother, Trainer (9-1) returns to action at PFL Road to Dubai to face former PFL champion and UFC veteran Rob Wilkinson. It’s a big fight for Trainer, as it’s his first under the PFL banner after the Bellator merger, as well as an opportunity to match the longest win streak of his career at five.
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“My plan is to get right at it, my plan is to hurt him from the get go,” Trainer said. “The way I’ve seen him fight, if you let him dictate the pace, that’s where he’s strongest. You can see that in the Josh Silveira fight. You can see that in the Phil Davis fight. So yeah, my plan is to put it on him from the jump. My cardio is insane right now. This is the best shape I’ve ever been in. It’s the most aggressive I’ve been in sparring my whole career.”
Wilkinson (19-4) finds himself in a rut, having lost his last two fights. Trainer is confident he’ll make it No. 3, as long as he keeps focus on the gameplan and take advantage of what is open to him during the fight.
Trainer has lost only once in his career, a unanimous decision to Simon Biyong in May 2022. That was a loss that taught him plenty about his physical traits, but perhaps more importantly, taught him to trust the team around him to help make the best decisions for his career.
“One, it taught me I can take an absolute beating,” Trainer said with a laugh. “It taught me that my chin is granite, and I’m not a quitter, and I’m not going anywhere. Two, it taught me to listen to my team. In my camp, my team strongly advised me not to fight halfway through the camp when I had some things happen. I didn’t listen, and I went in there unprepared. It taught me that important preparation is everything, not just thinking you’re doing the right stuff.
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“So yeah, it taught me a lot. Do you know what? It was so long ago now, where I’ve tried to get that rematch back so many times, I’ve been told no by the brass, I’ve been told no by everyone, so I’ve let that go and I’m on to other stuff now.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Luke Trainer ready to ‘hurt’ Rob Wilkinson after year-plus layoff
