One of the most promising, rising talents in the UK is looking for the biggest win of his career this weekend.

Nathaniel ‘The Prospect’ Wood will be making his fourth appearance in the UFC on Saturday night and he hopes to maintain his unblemished record in the world’s premier organization. He is traveling into enemy territory to face former TUF winner and flyweight title challenger, John Dodson, at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico on the preliminary card.

Wood (16-3) enjoyed watching Dodson (20-11) compete when he was building his own name in Europe and aimed to one day challenge fighters of the American’s quality. The former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion particularly remembers witnessing Dodson’s rise on TUF and compares this situation to ‘idols becoming rivals’. However, Wood believes Dodson has changed his style in recent bouts so has planned accordingly.

“I would definitely say in his last few fights, he has been very defensive,” stated Wood. “In a way, he often runs from the fight a lot. I’m expecting to have to chase after him for a little bit. However, with this contest being in his hometown, I’m thinking that he might get overconfident and come forward.”

Dodson is currently experiencing the most inconsistent form of his career and has lost 4 of his last 7 bouts since returning to bantamweight. Those defeats came to the elite in the division though so ‘The Magician’ remains a big test for those seeking to enter the upper-echelon at 135lbs. In a recent interview with the Albuquerque Journal, Dodson discussed how his ground game is better than Wood’s and that the Londoner won’t throw anything at him which he hasn’t seen before. Despite this opinion, ‘The Prospect’ intends to surprise the UFC veteran on Saturday night and ensure his own hand is raised.

“He can claim what he wants really,” responded Wood. “Dodson can say he’s got better jiu-jitsu than me and he can say he’s a better striker than me but at the end of the day, a fight is a fight. It all comes down to who turns up on the night, so we’ll see what happens this weekend. I always come looking for the knockout. It’s what I’m after every time but if the submission is there, I’ll take it too.”

Wood recently became a member of the newly-formed Great Britain Top Team (GBTT) which was founded by his protegee and English MMA pioneer, Brad Pickett. However, they don’t have their own facility yet but local gym, Stronger MMA, have let them train there so preparations weren’t interrupted. Also, the 26-year-old has used a high-altitude machine at home to help prepare him for the conditions in New Mexico and he also travelled to Rio Rancho ten days early in an attempt to have more time to adjust to the environment.

It was a surprise to many that Wood was booked for this weekend’s card when the UFC’s annual return to London takes place around a month later. He has a large fan-base in the capital and is one of the up and coming fighters who European fans are excited about. Many assumed he would feature in a prominent spot at the O2 Arena but that currently isn’t the case. Although at this stage it looks unlikely, Wood hasn’t closed the door on making a quick turnaround to compete in his hometown.

“I was disappointed I wasn’t initially matched on the London card but in the same sense, I’m happy that I’ve got a good fight with Dodson,” discussed Wood. “I’m still game to get on that show if there is an open slot. Providing there are no winner’s injuries, the first thing I will do is ask for a spot on the London show.”

A win in Rio Rancho would extend Wood’s current winning streak to nine and he would be knocking on the door of the top ten. The bantamweight division is stacked with elite-level talent but the title picture remains unclear. Wood is excited at the prospect of jumping straight into that mix but a particular name stands out as someone who he’d like to meet inside the octagon soon.

“I would love to face Cody Garbrandt but I need him to win his next fight,” explained Wood. “If he was to lose against Assuncao, it would be four defeats on the trot for him so that wouldn’t really excite me as much. I hope he comes out of his next fight with a good win and it would be great to face him.”

UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2 prelims can be seen live on BT Sport 2 at 11pm GMT on Saturday night for viewers in the UK. Fans in the US can tune in from 5pmET/4c on ESPN+.