PARIS – Nathaniel Wood and Charles Jourdain have a reputation as can’t miss fighters – and they lived up to the hype again at UFC Fight Night 209.
In the main card opener at Accor Arena in Paris, Wood (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) defeated Jourdain (13-6-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a fun back-and-forth battle.
Early, Wood found success with a takedown but was unable to muster up much significant offense in the grappling department. While Wood seemed to keep an open mind when it came to where he wanted to take the fight throughout, Jourdain was less eager to drag the fight down to the canvas.
Back on the feet, Jourdain tagged Wood, who moments later after a timeout caused by a foul landed a rocking shot of his own.
Good action in Round 1 flowed into Round 2, though there was a little more caution from each man as the fight progresses. There was much phone-booth fighting within the round. Spinning strikes appeared, as did leg sweep attempts. Both men connected frequently, with offense clearly their prerogatives.
The fighters received a nice ovation from the passionate Paris crowd at the start of Round 3. Trips continued successfully for Wood, who was nearly perfect in attempts – though what followed wasn’t usually notable. Elbows were a major weapon in the clinching-distanced battle. Wood found a second wind late as he landed some fast combinations with swagger on the bloodied Jourdain.
The bout ended, the crowd cheered, and moments later, Wood was named the victor.
What. A. Scrap. Thank you @TheProspectMMA & @JourdainAir 👏 #UFCParis pic.twitter.com/RKrmMIvQ9W
— UFC (@ufc) September 3, 2022
With the win, Wood extends a standalone victory into a two-fight winning streak and remains unbeaten at featherweight. In July, Wood made his divisional debut when he defeated Charles Rosa in London.
As for Jourdain, the defeat marks two in a row – the first two-fight skid of his professional career. The other loss took place in July when Jourdain lost an exciting majority decision to Shane Burgos.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 209 results include:
- Nathaniel Wood def. Charles Jourdain via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Abusupiyan Magomedov def. Dustin Stoltzfus via TKO (kick, punches) – Round 1, 0:19
- Nasrat Haqparast def. John Makdessi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Fares Ziam def. Michal Figlak via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Benoit Saint-Denis def. Gabriel Miranda via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:16
- Christian Quinonez def. Khalid Taha via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:15
- Stephanie Egger def. Ailin Perez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:54
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.
