London bantamweight Nathaniel Wood knows a rush of blood to the head can be the difference between victory and defeat and is banking on that experience being a key factor in his bout against Casey Kenney at UFC 254.
Wood suffered the first loss of his UFC career in February, when he went for the finish after suffering a cut against John Dodson only to be countered by the American veteran, who secured the stoppage win.
The 27-year-old rebounded by outpointing John Castaneda and hopes to continue the momentum in a 140lb catchweight contest on the preliminary card of Khabib Nurmagomedov-Justin Gaethje at the Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi.
Wood, who has accepted this bout on three weeks' notice, added: "I'm very comfortable on the floor but because I prefer to strike, people think that's what I'm better at.
"But it's nice to be taken down and then end up winning via submission as well.
"Casey Kenney is going to come forward and that's going to double the power up. You can expect a knockout come Saturday night.
"If I can get a win in good fashion, maybe pick up a nice bonus before Christmas, that would be nice."
:: Watch UFC 254 prelims live on BT Sport 2 from 5pm this Saturday, with the main card exclusively live on BT Sport Box Office from 7pm for £19.95.
