Nathaniel Wood vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
‘Fight Island’ UFC event – July 25th 2020
Originally Nurmagomedov was scheduled to take on Hunter Azure in April in order to make his UFC debut, this was later cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Nurmagomedov (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) holds the former Gorilla Fighting Championship bantamweight title and remains undefeated since the start of his professional MMA career.
Nathaniel Wood is a highly accomplished MMA fighter, having competed in a total of 20 matches and prevailed in over 80% of them! Wood also managed to submit 3 of his first opponents in the UFC, showcasing his talent and drive for the MMA sport.
About Nathaniel Wood
Wood holds an immaculate record of 16 wins – 3 defeats as of turning professional in the MMA sport. He won the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship by defeating Marko Kovacevic at Cage Warriors 84, managing to defend his title twice against Josh Reed at Cage Warriors 86 and Luca Iovine at Cage Warriors 9. This led him to sign with the UFC, where he has won 3 of his 4 official fights, submitting his first three opponents.
Wood’s Opponent – Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar is the younger cousin of UFC lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC). Khabib is a two-time Combat Sambo World Champion and the UFC Lightweight Champion to date. Khabib dominates the MMA scene, holding the longest active undefeated streak of a staggering 28 wins and no losses.
Umar kickstarted his professional MMA career by defeating Saidyokub Kakharamonov, this ended in a unanimous decision. Upon returning to Russia, Nurmagomedov failed to lose any of his fights, remaining undefeated. Making his return to PLF in August 2019, Nurmagomedov managed to maintain his winning streak defeating Sidemar Honorio Nurmagomedov. Later in November 2019 he also obtained another victory by first round rear-naked choke against opponent Brian Gonzalez.