MMA’s co-leader had a tough night in the production booth this weekend.
On Friday, PFL 2 took place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas and featured the start of the 2024 lightweight and light heavyweight seasons. Though it was a good night of fights, perhaps the most talked-about moment of the evening was a gaff by the commentary team.
For most of the evening, the commentary team could be heard on live mics on the ESPN+ when the program cut to commercial break. That came back to bite them following the co-main, when Rob Wilkinson destroyed Tom Breese in just 70 seconds, and commentator Sean O’Connell could be heard making a joke about Wilkinson and steroids.
“Can I ask him about his steroids? Where he got them?”
Wilkinson, the 2022 PFL light heavyweight champion, had his first post-title win – a stoppage of Thiago Santos – overturned due to a no-contest after he tested positive for elevated testosterone. As a result, he was pulled from the 2023 light heavyweight season as a result and received a nine-month suspension.
O’Connell later interviewed Wilkinson in the cage about his win, and of course, made no mention of his off-stage joke. But later on X, he apologized for his words.
Apologies to Rob Wilkinson and team about the wisecrack on hot mic. @FactoryXMTMMA Gotta be better. Never want to be a lame distraction from a great performance.
— Sean O’Connell (@realOCsports) April 13, 2024
Apologies to Rob Wilkinson and team about the wisecrack on hot mic. [Factory X MMA], gotta be better. Never want to be a lame distraction from a great performance.
Check out the full PFL 2 results here.
