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NATHANIEL WOOD VS CHARLES ROSA FACTS
When is UFC London? Sunday 23rd July, 2022 - 18:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC London? The O2 Arena, London (UK)
Where can I get tickets for UFC London? Click here to buy tickets for UFC London
What channel is UFC London on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC London? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
NATHANIEL WOOD VS CHARLES ROSA LOWDOWN
We are praying Nathaniel Wood (17-5) keeps his dance partner at the O2 arena this time. He was expected to grace the London card last year, but Luidvik Sholinian dropped out followed by Vince Morales who fell ill just before the fight. Heart wrenching for Wood who has not fought since October 2020 when he lost a unanimous decision to the talented Casey Kenney. That made it 1-2 in his last three after his TKO loss to John Dodson and unanimous decision win over John Castaneda the same year. Now, he has been forced up to featherweight after struggling to get any fights at 135 lbs.
Charles Rosa (14-7) has been lined up for the Londoners return. The veteran is 5-7 in the UFC now but has amassed some priceless experience at featherweight and lightweight. His last win was a split decision over Justin Jaynes (2021), but he is coming off two straight losses for the first time in his career. He dropped unanimous decisions to fellow veteran and grappler Damon Jackson (2021) and TJ Brown back in January.
NATHANIEL WOOD VS CHARLES ROSA PREDICTION
Wood continues to improve despite the recent form and he has had a lot of time to tune up for this fight. Rosa is the bigger man, but they have the same reach and Wood will not be undersized for the division.
Wood has very slick jiu-jitsu although he will want to keep the fight on the feet as Rosa is a persistent wrestler with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The Londoner is the better striker and will have a crucial speed advantage. So, expect Rosa to feel Wood out on the feet but when he starts to eat some thunderous leg kicks, he will shoot in for a takedown.
Here, he will struggle to take Wood down who has the technique and explosiveness to defend the majority of takedowns. The more space he can create, the easier he will make this look offloading his relentless output with a variety of strikes to wear Rosa down and convince all three judges.
Prediction: Wood via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)