The featherweight star returns to the octagon after a difficult start to 2023 on Saturday at the O2 Arena with the hometown fighter taking on Andre Fili.
Wood is seeking the win that could propel him into the top 10 rankings of his division and spark a run he hopes will see him fight in the capital again next March – this time as the headline act.
The former Cage Warriors champion sat out of the promotion’s last visit to London in March this year after suffering a freak accident in training that forced him off the card. It was the latest in a small string of setbacks that have hampered his progress over the last three years.
While he has been able to bounce back on each occasion, those struggles have encouraged him to look to the future and figure out what he must do for himself in a brutal career that provides no guarantees.
Always laser-focused, Wood sees a clear route for himself as he moves into the prime years of his fighting career. In the last year, Wood has also launched his Prospect Academy which he believes will provide a sustainable project for him after he retires.
Having seen so many before him struggle through their final years in the cage having to fight to keep paying bills – including his own trainer Brad Pickett – he has been training smarter and looking to the future at every step.
‘In this game, if you don’t fight there is no insurance,’ Wood told Metro.co.uk in an exclusive interview at his gym in Morden, south west London. ‘It’s not like the UFC say, “hey, don’t worry about getting injured mate, here’s 100 grand to last the year.”
‘As a man I’ve got to provide for my family. I don’t like the thought of relying on someone else to pay my bills. At the moment, the UFC pay my bills. I’m in their control. I want to have it so that my money and my life is sorted.
‘The UFC is what I do for fun. I love fighting. A lot of people moan about the money. I think the money is great when you’re fighting. But I’ve got so many spare hours in the day you may as well go and try and sell businesses and plant the seeds now whilst I make my money fighting.
‘With Brad, unfortunately the last few fights in his career he didn’t want to do. He was done, he was ready to hang up his gloves. But you have to pay the bills. And I don’t want to end the sport on a bitter note because I think I would despise it then.
‘You want to go away, off into the sunset, counting your money. I want to retire on a win. I want to retire when I’m healthy. I want to be able to go home to my kids and not be punch drunk and falling apart. If I can get other things around me making money too, it is more weight off my shoulders.’
Trying to ensure there are no more bumps on the road, Wood has cut out training and sparring with ‘idiots’, admitting any more setbacks at this stage in his career could be extremely costly.
‘You get some guys that will do stupid techniques, they’ll throw an axe kick and their heels are not protected,’ he said. ‘If you get an axe kick landed on your head, you’re going to get split open and then that’s your fight done.
‘I’ve had someone throw an elbow at me before with no elbow pads on. I’m not sparring with those people anymore. Fortunately we don’t have many of them, but there are people now where I’m not risking it. While I’m thinking, “I’ll smash them into pieces”, I’m not risking getting cut training with you.
‘We are being smarter. Because if I keep getting injured, then I think that’s the time when I just say enough is enough. The highs in this sport are huge but sometimes it’s the lowest of the lows. And for me getting injured is s**t. It is the worst.’
Wood will turn 30 this August, giving the Londoner greater impetus to make up for lost time and rattle off as many fights as he can before the year is out. He has a name in mind to call out if he gets the win on Saturday and believes he can return to the capital early next year as the headline act, something he would cherish more than a title shot.
‘The goal is always to be UFC champion. The way I look at it now, I’ve probably got another three years in my prime. I know everyone’s different but from what we usually see after 33 is when you start to maybe deteriorate a little bit and I’ve been in this game since I was 16. I’ve got three years now to work my way up that ladder. I just need that ranking to start knocking my way through the top 10.
‘I’m not looking past Andre Fili, I have to get a win against him. I do have someone in mind after this fight, I’ll call them out next and headlining in London next March would be huge.
‘A lot of people would say the UFC belt is the pinnacle. But at the start of all this for me it wasn’t, it was to headline a UFC show in London, my home town. I know we can do that next year.’
On July 22nd 2023, Nathaniel Wood will be fighting at the O2 London for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ASPINALL vs. TYBURA. To book your tickets, please visit, https://www.axs.com/uk/events/482598/ufc-fight-night-tickets.
MORE : Nathaniel Wood: I tried to get Lerone Murphy fight rebooked for UFC London, but I will go onto achieve better things
MORE : Nathaniel Wood to fight Andre Fili at UFC London on 22 July
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest UFC News Click Here
