MMA Preview – Nathaniel Wood vs Andre Fili at UFC Fight Night 224
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NATHANIEL WOOD VS ANDRE FILI FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 224? Saturday 22nd July, 2023 - 16:45 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 224? The O2 Arena, London (UK)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 224? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 224 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 224? 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 ANDRE FILI LOWDOWN
Nathaniel Wood (19-5) was heartbroken after he sustained a nasty gash in training forcing him out of the blockbuster UFC 286 card. He was scheduled to fight Lerone Murphy who is also on this card which would have been a barnburner. Now, he is focused on compiling a run after responding to his unanimous decision loss to Casey Kenney (2020) by moving up to featherweight and notching up two unanimous decisions of his own over Charles Rosa (2022) and Charles Jourdain (2022).
We last saw Andre Fili (22-9(1)) in September last year when he earnt a split decision over Bill Algeo. That took his UFC tally to 10-8(1) but he is a lot better than that record suggests as his losses have come to studs such as Yair Rodriguez (2016), Calvin Kattar (2017), Michael Johnson (2018), Sodiq Yusuff (2020), Bryce Mitchell (2020) and Joanderson Brito (2022).
NATHANIEL WOOD VS ANDRE FILI PREDICTION
They are both very well-rounded and do their best work on the feet. Fili has the range, but Wood has the speed and power. He continues to improve whereas Fili has hit his ceiling, but that said, Fili’s main concern is his consistency.
When he is on, he looks like he could beat most fighters in the division and he can go toe-to-toe with Wood in the exchanges and time his level-changes to secure the takedown. However, Wood has the skills to match Fili everywhere.
His wrestling is improving and he has better jiu-jitsu if the fight goes to the floor. We feel his boxing and leg kicks will wear Fili down. Wood is also very strong in the clinch and will hold his own in the wrestling department, so we expect the Brit to earn a decision at least. Fili is worth a punt considering his experience and odds, but we are backing the hometown boy.
Prediction: Wood via Decision
Value bet: Fili via Decision
