Top UK MMA fighter and UFC veteran Nathaniel Wood has just been promoted to BJJ black belt by his coach Ashley Grimshaw immediately after a huge win in a professional grappling match at Polaris 27. The promotion has been incredibly hard-earned, as Wood has been a popular figure in the UK MMA scene for years and has always had impressive grappling skills. He made his professional debut all the way back in 2012 and immediately became a prolific competitor on the regional MMA circuit in his home-country, racking up an 8-3 record in his first 4 years of fighting.
Wood went on to make his Bellator debut in successful fashion before enjoying a fantastic four-fight run with Cage Warriors that saw him become their bantamweight world champion. It was that series of impressive performances that drew the attention of the UFC, and he was signed to the promotion in 2018. Wood rattled off 3 submission wins in a row to start his UFC career and has since become a permanent fixture in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions, working his way up to an impressive 20-6 professional MMA record.
He got the opportunity to compete in a grappling match against fellow UFC veteran Alex Caceres at Polaris 27 and the pair headlined the preliminary card. It was an exciting match from start to finish and Wood was getting the better of most of the standing exchanges, landing several takedowns throughout the first two-thirds of the match. He did get his back taken towards the end of the match but he weathered the storm of Caceres’ offense and was awarded the decision win thanks to his earlier efforts. After Nathaniel Wood was announced as the winner of the match, he rushed over to his coach and was presented with his BJJ black belt immediately.
The footage of Nathaniel Wood beating Alex Caceres by decision at Polaris 27 and being promoted to black belt immediately afterward was uploaded to the promotion’s official YouTube channel:
