Momentum swung back and forth in the UFC Fight Night 224 featured bout Saturday at The O2 in London.
In a featherweight bout, Nathaniel Wood (20-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) defeated Andre Fili (22-10 MMA, 10-9 UFC) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a thrilling three-round bout.
Both fighters were stunned and nearly finished during the fight. Wood was first to land a significant flurry when he floored Fili to the canvas and pounded away with punches. Many of Wood’s punches hit Fili’s arms. All the while, Fili told referee Marc Goddard to stand back.
In Round 2, it was Fili’s turn to unload. He landed a violent combination of a left hand and Thai knees that put Wood down. Fili hopped on Wood’s back and sought a submission. Wood wiggled Fili off and worked for a submission of his own.
The final round was less frantic and more technical. Fili and Wood both landed hard shots. While it was a closely contested final round, the judges all agreed Wood had done enough.
3 wins in a row for @TheProspectMMA 👊
The hometown kid gets the UD victory‼️
[ #UFCLondon | Live on @ESPNPlus 📺 ] pic.twitter.com/XFHTrs98um
— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023
Wood, 29, moves to 3-0 since he moved up to featherweight in 2022. In September, he defeated Charles Jourdain by unanimous decision. Fili falls to 1-3 with one no contest in his most recent five bouts.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 224 results include:
- Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Fili via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Paul Craig def. Andre Muniz via TKO (elbows) – Round 2, 4:40
- Fares Ziam def. Jai Herbert via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Lerone Murphy def. Josh Culibao via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Daniel Marcos def. Davey Grant via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jonny Parsons def. Danny Roberts TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:57
- Joel Alvarez def. Marc Diakiese via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:26
- Mick Parkin def. Jamal Pogues via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Makhmud Muradov def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ketlen Vieira def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Chris Duncan def. Yanal Ashmouz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Bruna Brasil def. Shauna Bannon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jafel Filho def. Daniel Barez via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:34
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.
