Nathaniel Wood (fighter)
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| Nathaniel Wood | |
|---|---|
 Wood at UFC 232 in 2018 | |
| Born | 5 August 1993 London, England[1] |
| Other names | The Prospect, The Last Kingsman |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
| Division | Bantamweight (2012–2022) Featherweight (2022–present) |
| Reach | 69 in (175 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Morden, England |
| Team | Nova Forca Raptors Strike Force Team Titan (2017–2019)[2][3] Great Britain Top Team (2019–present)[4] |
| Trainer | Brad Pickett |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ashley Grimshaw[5] |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 29 |
| Wins | 23 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 10 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Nathaniel Wood (born 5 August 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, he formerly competed for Cage Warriors, where he was the Bantamweight Champion.
Growing up playing football, Wood followed his father to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practice at the age of 16.[6] He attended college for carpentry for a spell, but dropped out in order to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.[6]
Professional mixed martial arts career
Early career
Wood amassed a record of 8–3 record, before signing with Cage Warriors.[7]
Cage Warriors Bantamweight champion
Wood was scheduled to face Vaughan Lee at CWFC 82 on 1 April 2017. They were originally scheduled to meet at CWFC 80, before the fight was postponed due to an anomaly found on Wood's brain in a pre-fight scan.[8] Wood staggered Lee near the beginning of the second round, and pursued him for the remainder of the fight, knocking him out with a right straight at the 4:22 minute mark.[9]
Following his dominant victory against Lee, Wood was scheduled to fight Marko Kovacevic for the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship at CWFC 84 on 2 June 2017.[10] Wood won the fight by a first-round technical knockout, after weathering some early counter right hands by Kovacic.[11]
Wood was scheduled to make his first title defense against Josh Reed at CWFC 86 on 17 September 2017.[12] Reed dominated the champion for the duration of the short-lived bout, surging forward with power shots and managing to drop Wood with a combination of punches. Wood however managed to stagger back to his feet and counter the onrushing Reed with a counter left, winning the fight by a first-round knockout.[13]
Wood made his second and final title defense against Luca Iovine at CWFC 92 on 24 March 2018.[14] Wood made quick work of the challenger, knocking him out with a left hook after just 50 seconds.[15]
It was announced on 5 April 2018 that Wood had signed with the UFC.[16]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Wood made his promotional debut against Johnny Eduardo on 1 June 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes. He won the fight via submission in Round 2,[17] for which he was awarded with a Performance of the Night bonus.[18]
Wood was originally scheduled to face Tom Duquesnoy on 29 December 2018 at UFC 232.[19] However, Dusquenoy pulled out due to an injury and was replaced by Andre Ewell.[20] He won the bout via submission in the third round.[21]
Wood faced José Alberto Quiñónez on 16 March 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal.[22] He won the fight via a submission in round two.[23]
Wood faced John Dodson on 15 February 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2.[24] He lost the fight via TKO in round three.[25]
Wood was scheduled to face Umar Nurmagomedov on 26 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN 14.[26] However, Nurmagomedov withdrew from the bout due to his uncle Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's passing [27] He was replaced by promotional newcomer John Castañeda.[28] Wood won the fight via unanimous decision.[29]
Wood faced Casey Kenney on 24 October 2020 at UFC 254.[30] He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.[31] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[32]
Wood was scheduled to face Jonathan Martinez on 4 September 2021 at UFC Fight Night 191.[33] However, Wood was removed from the bout in mid-August for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Marcelo Rojo.[34]
Wood was scheduled to face Liudvik Sholinian on 19 March 2022 at UFC Fight Night 204.[35] However due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sholinian was unable to leave the country or train so he was replaced by Vince Morales.[36] In turn, just days before the event, Morales withdrew due to illness.[37]
In his debut at featherweight, Wood faced Charles Rosa on 23 July 2022 at UFC Fight Night 208.[38] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[39]
Wood faced Charles Jourdain on 3 September 2022 at UFC Fight Night 209.[40] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[41]
Wood was scheduled to face Lerone Murphy on 18 March 2023 at UFC 286.[42] However, Wood was forced to withdraw from the event due to leg injury.[43]
Wood faced Andre Fili on 22 July 2023 at UFC on ESPN+ 82.[44] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[45]
Wood faced Muhammad Naimov on 21 October 2023, at UFC 294.[46] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[47]
Wood faced Daniel Pineda on 27 July 2024, at UFC 304.[48] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[49]
Wood faced former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Morgan Charrière on 22 March 2025 at UFC Fight Night 255.[50] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[51]
Wood faced Jose Miguel Delgado on 25 October 2025, at UFC 321.[52] At the weigh-ins, Delgado weighed in at 147 pounds, one pound over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight.[53] Wood won the fight by unanimous decision.[54]
Wood faced Losene Keita on 21 March 2026, at UFC Fight Night 270.[55] He won the fight by split decision.[56]
Professional grappling career
Wood was booked to compete in a superfight against Aljamain Sterling at Polaris 25 on 30 September 2023.[57] However, Wood withdrew from the match and was replaced by Mike Grundy instead.[58]
Wood was scheduled to compete against Mason Jones in a superfight at Polaris 27 on 23 March 2024.[59] However, Wood ended up facing Alex Caceres and won via decision.[60]
Wood competed against Cameron Else at Polaris 30 on 2 November 2024.[61] He won the match by decision.[62]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Johnny Eduardo[18]
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Casey Kenney[32]
- Cage Warriors
- Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship (One time; first)
- Two successful title defenses
- Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship (One time; first)
- MMA Junkie
- 2020 October Fight of the Month vs. Casey Kenney[63]
- Slacky Awards
- 2022 Technical Turn-Around of the Year[64]
Mixed martial arts record
| 29 matches | 23 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 2 |
| By submission | 5 | 2 |
| By decision | 10 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 23–6 | Losene Keita | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy | 21 March 2026 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 22–6 | Jose Miguel Delgado | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 321 | 25 October 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Catchweight (147 lb) bout; Delgado missed weight. |
| Win | 21–6 | Morgan Charrière | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady | 22 March 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 20–6 | Daniel Pineda | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 304 | 27 July 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Manchester, England | |
| Loss | 19–6 | Muhammad Naimov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 294 | 21 October 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 19–5 | Andre Fili | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura | 22 July 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 18–5 | Charles Jourdain | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa | 3 September 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Paris, France | |
| Win | 17–5 | Charles Rosa | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall | 23 July 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Featherweight debut. |
| Loss | 16–5 | Casey Kenney | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 254 | 24 October 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Catchweight (140 lb) bout. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 16–4 | John Castañeda | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till | 26 July 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 15–4 | John Dodson | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2 | 15 February 2020 | 3 | 0:16 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | |
| Win | 15–3 | José Alberto Quiñónez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal | 16 March 2019 | 2 | 2:46 | London, England | |
| Win | 14–3 | Andre Ewell | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 232 | 29 December 2018 | 3 | 4:12 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Win | 13–3 | Johnny Eduardo | Submission (brabo choke) | UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes | 1 June 2018 | 2 | 2:18 | Utica, New York, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–3 | Luca Iovine | KO (punch) | Cage Warriors 92 | 24 March 2018 | 1 | 0:50 | London, England | Defended the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–3 | Josh Reed | TKO (punches) | Cage Warriors 86 | 17 September 2017 | 1 | 2:19 | London, England | Defended the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–3 | Marko Kovacevic | KO (punches) | Cage Warriors 84 | 2 June 2017 | 1 | 3:41 | London, England | Won the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–3 | Vaughan Lee | TKO (punches) | Cage Warriors 82 | 1 April 2017 | 2 | 4:22 | Liverpool, England | |
| Win | 8–3 | Chase Morton | Submission (rear naked choke) | Bellator 158 | 16 July 2016 | 2 | 0:48 | London, England | |
| Loss | 7–3 | Alan Philpott | TKO (doctor stoppage) | BAMMA 24 | 26 February 2016 | 3 | 3:40 | Dublin, Ireland | For the Lonsdale Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 | Bryan Creighton | Decision (unanimous) | BAMMA 23 | 14 November 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Birmingham, England | |
| Win | 6–2 | Thiago Aguiar | Decision (unanimous) | Phoenix Fight Night 27 | 12 September 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Bournemouth, England | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Mike Cutting | Submission (armbar) | BAMMA 18 | 21 February 2015 | 1 | 3:26 | Wolverhampton, England | |
| Win | 5–1 | Steve McCombe | TKO (arm injury) | Cage Warriors 74 | 15 November 2014 | 1 | 2:23 | London, England | |
| Win | 4–1 | Alexander Bilobrovka | TKO (punches) | Ultimate Challenge MMA 39 | 3 May 2014 | 1 | 0:34 | London, England | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Ed Arthur | Submission (rear naked choke) | BAMMA 15 | 5 April 2014 | 3 | 1:48 | London, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Abdullah Saleh | TKO (punches) | Ultimate Challenge MMA 38 | 1 February 2014 | 1 | 0:22 | London, England | |
| Win | 2–0 | Grisha Adams | Submission (triangle choke) | Ultimate Challenge MMA 35 | 3 August 2013 | 1 | 3:01 | London, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Damo Weeden | TKO (punches) | Fusion FC: Reality Check | 9 February 2013 | 2 | 2:10 | Epsom, England | Bantamweight debut. |