UFC 286 will feature a Brit vs. Brit matchup as Lerone Murphy is set to face Nathaniel Wood on March 18 in London, England.
The United Kingdom will take in their first pay-per-view event in sometime in March at the O2 Arena. UFC President Dana White promised the UK fan base a stacked card after the energy they brought to the O2 Arena in 2022. A matchup between Murphy and Wood is a good starting point.
Al Zullino broke the news of the fight on Twitter.
Lerone Murphy vs. Nathaniel Wood Battle in London at UFC 286
Murphy (11-0-1) has yet to taste defeat in his mixed martial arts career. The Englishman debuted with the promotion in 2019, drawing with Zubaira Tukhugov. Since then, he has racked up four consecutive wins over Ricardo Ramos, Douglas Silva de Andrade and Makwan Amirkhani. Murphy was set to face Nate Landwehr in 2022 but was forced to withdraw from the bout, resulting in him taking the year off.
Wood (19-5) had a triumphant 2022 campaign in terms of competition going (2-0). After enduring cancelled bouts and injury struggles, Wood moved to featherweight and found success defeating Charles Rosa and Charles Jourdain.
The UFC 286 card is expected to feature a handful of British talent. Newly crowned welterweight champion Leon Edwards is expected to defend his title against Kamaru Usman in a trilogy bout. However, it remains to be seen if Usman will have fully recovered from his hand surgery. Names such as Jorge Masvidal and Belal Muhammad are being thrown in the hat.
What do you make of this featherweight matchup for UFC 286? What are your early predictions?
