Nathaniel Wood sees likeness in opponent Morgan Charriere

LONDON – Nathaniel Wood thinks his matchup Saturday could quite possibly be the best unranked option for him to climb up the UFC featherweight ladder.

At UFC Fight Night 255, Wood (20-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) takes on Morgan Charriere (20-10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in a main card battle at The O2 Arena in London. While Wood has years of experience in the UFC over France’s Charriere, they both rose to the world’s top organization through the same regional circuit and share many of the same similarities.

“I don’t have a bad word to say about him,” Wood told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference Thursday. “We’ve got each other on Instagram. I like the guy. I feel like he’s very similar to me where if you look at him, I’d say he’s a striker. But he’s also got very violent grappling. He’s 29 years old, I’m 31. He’s got 20 wins. I’ve got 20 wins. Cage Warriors champion, Cage Warriors champion. It’s very similar.

“I feel like I’m fighting someone who’s on the same sort of journey as me. Obviously, Daniel Pineda was a lot older and more experienced, so he had advantages in some areas. I had advantages in others. With Morgan, I just think it’s very similar stylistically.”

Wood is 4-1 since he moved to featherweight in 2022. He holds wins over Charles Rosa, Charles Jourdain, Andre Fili, and Daniel Pineda in that time. The flip side of the equation, Charriere has finished Manolo Zecchini and Gabriel Miranda thus far since signing with the UFC in 2024.

Despite the credit he heaped on Charriere, Wood is confident he’ll get his hand raised Saturday. So where does the difference lie for Wood?

“Definitely in the speed, if we’re going off physical attributes,” Wood said. “Going up a weight, obviously everyone is going to be slightly stronger than me, but they’re not going to be faster. The way I look at it is, at bantamweight, I was always the same as everyone else because we all cut the same amount of weight. Now, going up a weight, I’m at a disadvantage in the strength. But I’m at an advantage in the speed. If I fight my fight how I’m supposed to, I think I’m going to be too quick for him, and I don’t know how his mindset is. I know my mindset right now is bulletproof, especially fighting in London, as well. Those are the two biggest advantages I’d say I’ve got in my arsenal. But that’s not an insult to him because I’m sure he’s very motivated, as well. But yeah, I know my mindset right now is in a good place to fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.