Bantamweights
NR | Nathaniel Wood (17-5, 4-2 UFC) vs. NR | Vince Morales (11-5, 3-3 UFC)It speaks to the depth of the UFC’s bantamweight division that Wood has become a bit of a forgotten man after missing all of 2021. A Brad Pickett protege, “The Prospect” came to the UFC as a hyped talent and lived up to that billing early, showing off a solid striking game while being able to fall on his wrestling as a failsafe. However, 2020 was a bit rougher for the Brit. Wood put in solid performances in each of his three fights during the year but suffered a late knockout to John Dodson and got outpaced by Casey Kenney. Wood is still someone to watch, but the stacked nature of this division means that he needs to keep progressing in order to keep pace with all the other young talent, lest he start falling behind. He will look to make up for lost time against Morales, who is riding the most momentum of his UFC career thus far. For most of his time on the roster, Morales has been a technically sound fighter struggling to put together wins, as his counter-heavy approach typically let his opponents—often better athletes—take the initiative and win rounds. However, “Vandetta” was a bit more insistent in an August win over Drako Rodriguez, and a surprising knockout of Louis Smolka in December could be a game-changer if Morales can carry his power going forward. That also makes this fight a lot more interesting, but this still looks like Wood’s bout to lose. He is the higher-paced and more aggressive fighter, and in case things wind up even on the feet, he should be able to change things up and take this to the mat without much issue. The pick is Wood via decision.
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