Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will face off against the UK’s own Nathaniel Wood on September 30th in Wales.
That sentence, without context, may raise a few eyebrows. It’s ok, you can relax. Sterling will face Wood in a grappling contest on the mats at Polaris 25 in Wales.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Nathaniel Wood
The matchup will see, what some consider to now be, the bantamweight GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Aljamain Sterling return to competition for the first time since his defeat at UFC 292 to Sean O’Malley.
Sterling was on a tear in the bantamweight division before running into O’Malley in Boston. After a dominant title run, O’Malley stepped up to the plate and showed that he is not just a hype-train. ‘Suga’ was able to land a beautiful counter right-hand clean to the chin of the champion and after following up with significant ground strikes, the bout was waved off and O’Malley became the new king.
Now, ‘Aljo’ will look to return to his preferred discipline, grappling, taking his talents to the UK. Sterling is a known expert threat on the ground. He wrestled in college and became a two-time NCAA Division III All-American wrestler. The former champion has also finished 8 of his 23 professional MMA bouts by submission.
Across the mat, will stand one of the UK’s very best MMA fighters in Nathaniel Wood. ‘The Prospect’ is as well-rounded as they come and despite not necessarily being known as a submission king, he does hold 5 submission wins in his previous 20 bouts and is not to be underestimated.
What Else to Expect?
The contest between ‘Aljo’ and Wood will feature on UFC Fight Pass. It will also see eight men battle it out in a grand prix, with a $30,000 prize for the winner.
The competition will see:
Kaynan Duarte (ADCC Champion), Giancarlo Bodoni (ADCC Champion), Fabricio Andrey (IBJJF World Champion), Izaak Michell (IBJJF Nogi World Champion), Owen Livesey (Commonwealth Judo Champion), Eoghan O’Flanagan (ADCC European Champion), Roberto Jimenez (Polaris Middleweight Champion) and Marcin Maciulewicz (Polaris Contenders Champion) face off for the prize money.
The event is already sold out and fans will be in for a treat as Nathaniel Wood tries his hand against one of the greatest mixed martial artists the bantamweight division has ever seen.
What did you think of this announcement? Did it catch you off guard? Let us know in the comments below.
