Nathaniel Wood is in the UFC for a good time, but certainly not a long one.
The 32-year-old has travelled to Abu Dhabi ahead of his fight with Jose Delgado at UFC 321 on Saturday night.
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Wood boasts a professional MMA record of 21-6 and is 9-3 in the UFCCredit: Getty
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‘The Last Kingsman’ outpointed France’s Morgan Charriere in his last fight at UFC LondonCredit: Getty
The featherweights are set to meet on the undercard of the event, before fellow British star Tom Aspinall defends his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in the main event.
It will be the 13th walk to the UFC‘s Octagon for the London man, who made his name at Cage Warriors before signing with Dana White‘s promotion in 2018, but it could also be his last.
Wood entered MMA’s premier promotion with ambitions of becoming a world champion, but his goals quickly changed after the birth of his two daughters.
Nathaniel Wood: ‘I want to watch my girls grow up for the rest of their lives’
In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com, ‘The Last Kingsman’ explained why family and having children have completely shifted his focus as he seeks to be out of the fight game sooner rather than later.
‘I will never become a punching bag’ – UFC 321 star reveals early retirement plan to watch daughters grow up
“My original goal was the belt, but now I’ve broken it down much simpler,” Wood said.
“It’s now make as much money as I can and fight as best as I can — I want to retire healthy and young.
“I don’t want to be one of the guys who is losing, losing, losing, losing, losing, retiring, and then he’s tarnished the end of his career.
“I want to go: couple of fights – boom. Nathaniel’s on a win, he’s on a tear. Guess what? I’m retiring. See you later.
“I want to be able to retire on a high. I want to retire on wins, and I do want to retire when my health is still intact and I still have more to give.
“I don’t want to leave it all in there. I want to retire with my marbles intact, and I want to be healthy and watch my girls grow up for the rest of their lives.
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Wood wants to pack in his MMA career while he’s still young to avoid becoming a punching bag for up-and-coming fightersCredit: Getty
“I won’t be in the sport much longer if I’m honest, because I’m 32 now. Usually, fighters start to decline maybe like 35, 34 – I’ve not got long.
“I just want to get the best fights, make as much money as I can make whilst I’m in my prime and then bounce.”
What is Wood’s UFC record?
Wood is 9-3 in the UFC and began his run as a bantamweight, winning four of his first five bouts in the promotion before moving up to 145lbs.
He joked to talkSPORT.com that he’s now able to enjoy the luxuries many fighters never get to, like drinking coffee, as he doesn’t have to endure brutal weight cuts to shed extra pounds.
Weight cutting is an extremely controversial subject in combat sports, as highlighted by former UFC star Paul Craig, who opened up on an eating disorder he developed as a result of it.
In his last fight, Wood scored an emphatic unanimous decision win — the fifth in his last six — over the highly touted Morgan Charriere at UFC London.
Ahead of the win in March, Wood told the media, including talkSPORT.com, that the birth of his daughters meant his motivations in the sport had changed entirely.
Now, with two children to look after, the 32-year-old doubled down on his words, asserting that other fighters should come to the same realisation.
Wood admits ‘more important things in life’ than long UFC career
“Some people told me, ‘You’re not active enough.’ Well, sometimes you’ve got stuff going on in life,” Wood added.
“My firstborn was in an intensive care unit for a month. She had a lot of health complications.
“The last fight I got offered, I had to unfortunately turn down because it was around my wife’s due date.
“I was like, ‘Listen, I’m not going to Canada when my baby’s about to be born, I’m just not gonna.’
“At the end of the day, there are more important things in life, and my girls are my motivation.
“That is it. Them girls there are what I fight for. In this whole fight camp, I’ve got them in the back of my mind.
“When I fight, they’re gonna be in the back of my mind, and if you find a dad that loves his daughters and he’s there to protect them, you best believe I’m gonna be as aggressive as possible and as hungry as possible.
“You can always make a mistake. On the night, Jose Delgado could throw the right shot at the right time.
“But I’m going into that fight knowing that I can put it all on the line and I’m gonna be the best Nathaniel Wood that I can possibly be.”
Wood calls for all fighters to consider ‘sensible’ retirement
Wood explained that he is currently in the ‘last part’ of his UFC contract, meaning he could be theoretically cut at any moment.
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‘The Last Kingsman’ wants other fighters to take note of his plan to retire early and watch his daughters grow upCredit: Getty
The 32-year-old has already started a few business projects on the side, so he has something to fall back on when the time comes for him to lay down the gloves.
“There are too many fighters who leave it,” Wood concluded.
“They retire, they’re like, ‘S*** I’ve got to go back on the construction site or I need to go and be cannon fodder for some promotion somewhere for these young up-and-coming prospects to beat the hell out of me.
“There’s one thing I will never become is a punching bag for my daughters. I’m never gonna say my daughters are gonna watch me get beaten up every day just so I can get a paycheck.
“I believe that I’ve got a brain in here that I can use to create other income streams, and that’s the plan.
“You have to be sensible… my UFC career could have ended on a couple of fights, and you’ve got no money.
“Luckily, I’ve been able to buy a nice home, and I’ve got a nice car. I’ve got something out of this sport.
“Whereas there are too many athletes now that I think aren’t being realistic with their future plans, because if you don’t make a lot of money in this sport, it ain’t gonna last forever – I’m just trying to be sensible, I’m a dad now!”
Wood’s opponent, Delgado, is undefeated in the UFC, having emerged through Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2024.
‘The Last Kingsman’ is aware that the American can put his lights out at any moment, but said he has been training like a champion to make sure no stone has been left unturned for their clash.
Nathaniel Wood takes on Jose Delgado on the undercard of UFC: 321 Aspinall vs Gane live on Saturday 25th October at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
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