UFC featherweight Nathaniel Wood opens up about putting his career on hold to care for his ailing daughter: "I'm not fighting in 6 weeks"
Nathaniel Wood is one of England's most promising featherweights on the UFC roster. Unfortunately, he won't be fighting for the foreseeable future following a health-related emergency regarding his daughter, Arla.
The Englishman previously revealed that his daughter, an infant, has a perforated heart. Thus, he has opted to push his career to the background and focus on bettering his daughter's health. He recently took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
"Sorry guys but no I'm not fighting in 6 weeks, right now I've got to focus on my daughter's health first."
Wood kept his statement short and to the point. He did not provide an estimated return date. Unfortunately, his daughter has suffered from serious medical conditions since her birth, when she was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).
In short, several of her internal organs, including her liver, spleen and intestines, were squished into her chest. This, in turn, interfered with the growth of her lungs. Fortunately, she received immediate surgery following her birth to rectify the issue. Since then, she has had to have frequent medical checkups.
Unfortunately, the hole in her heart remains an ongoing issue that has now led to Wood putting his career on pause. He previously highlighted Arla as his main source of motivation as a fighter, but now he must focus all of himself into improving her health before he can think about returning to the octagon.
Nathaniel Wood fought recently at UFC 304
At UFC 304, Nathaniel Wood fought on home soil in Manchester, England. He took on Daniel Pineda. Despite outworking his opponent, the Englishman failed to find a finish - something that has largely plagued him throughout his UFC career.
Wood has not finished an opponent since 2019. However, he has managed to put together an 8-3 run in the promotion and establish himself in the UFC. After losing to Muhammad Naimov back in October of 2023, he went on to beat Daniel Pineda at UFC 304, bumping up his professional record to 20-6.