Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Nathaniel Wood, July 25
The UFC’s bantamweight division is where it’s at right now, with the 135-pound division boasting the deepest talent pool of any weight class in the sport, with a healthy mix of established stars and rising prospects making the division an absolute joy to follow in 2020.
The fight between [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] offers the chance to benchmark the abilities of two of the most talented up-and-comers at 135 pounds as they get set to throw down on the preliminary card on July 25.
Former Cage Warriors champion Wood (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) surged into the UFC on the back of a remarkable run of knockouts, then shocked the opposition with a hat-trick of submissions as Johnny Eduardo, Andre Ewell and Jose Quinonez were dispatched via choke finishes.
One shot.
March 24th – #OnThisDay in 2018, @TheProspectMMA defended his title with a knockout that caught the eye of @UFCEurope 🔥
Re-watch CW92 in full on @UFCFightPass. pic.twitter.com/13sMLGhwi1
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 24, 2020
Wood’s momentum hit a roadblock in February when he was finished by John Dodson at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in his first defeat in four years. But the Brit is ready to bounce back against a highly-touted, unbeaten newcomer.
Nurmagomedov (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a cousin of UFC lightweight champion Khabib, and comes from the same Dagestan-based team that produced the all-conquering 155-pound belt-holder. The 24-year-old arrives in the UFC as the former GFC bantamweight champion with five of his 12 wins coming via submission.
It offers a fascinating clash of rising prospects who have built their careers in very different regional scenes in Europe. While Nurmagomedov competed in a range of Russian promotions, including Fight Nights Global and GFC, Wood made his name predominantly on the UK regional scene, initially with UCMMA and BAMMA, then with Cage Warriors.
Both men have been earmarked as potential contenders of the future, but which one is best equipped to take on Top 15 opposition later this year? It’s going to be a lot of fun finding out.
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Next up: A title shot is up for grabs as “The Gorilla” takes on “The Reaper”