Wood vs Naimov

Who won Wood vs Naimov?

Muhammadjon Naimov beat Nathaniel Wood by unanimous decision in their 3 round contest during the prelims of UFC 294, on Saturday 21st October 2023 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The scorecards were announced in favor of the winner Muhammadjon Naimov.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 3 rounds in the Featherweight division, which meant the weight limit was 145 pounds (10.4 stone or 65.8 KG).

Wood vs Naimov stats

Nathaniel Wood stepped into the octagon with a record of 19 wins, 5 losses and 0 draws, 8 of those wins coming by the way of knock out and 5 by submission.

Muhammadjon Naimov made his way to the cage with a record of 9 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, 5 of those wins coming by knock out and 2 by submission.

This was Nathaniel Wood's 11th fight in the UFC, having made his debut for the promotion in 2018. Muhammadjon Naimov marked his 4th fight for them, having made his own debut for the promotion in 2023.

Nathaniel Wood's UFC record stood at 8-3-0, while Muhammadjon Naimov's came in at 3-1-0.

The stats suggested Naimov had an advantage in power over Wood, with a 56% knock out percentage over Wood's 42%.

If the fight went to the ground, their records suggested Wood had a slight advantage over Naimov, with a 26% submission rate over Naimov's 22%.

Nathaniel Wood was the older man by 1 year, at 31 years old.

Naimov had a height advantage of 3 inches over Wood. That also extended to a 1-inch reach advantage.

Wood was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 13 more fights, and made his debut in 2012, 6 years and 8 months earlier than Naimov, whose first professional fight was in 2018. He had fought 27 more professional rounds, 58 to Naimov's 31.

Activity check

Wood's last 3 fights had come over a period of 6 years, 5 months and 26 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 2 years and 2 months. In those fights, he fought a total of 6 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 2 rounds on average.

What were the odds on Wood vs Naimov?

Nathaniel Wood was a 7/25 (-360) favourite going into the contest, while Muhammadjon Naimov made his way into the ring at 11/4 (+280) with oddsmakers.