Debutant Andrusca stuns favourite Wood by unanimous decision at UFC Paris

Pavel Andrusca ended Nathaniel Wood’s four-fight winning streak with a unanimous decision upset at UFC Paris on 5 September, defeating the heavily favoured Englishman in his very first UFC appearance — on just five days’ notice.

Wood had been scheduled to face Mairon Santos, but Santos withdrew through illness days before the event, opening the door for the undefeated Moldovan. Andrusca, a +240 underdog against Wood’s -330 favourite tag, justified his late call-up by out-striking Wood in the opening round. Wood found more rhythm in the second, but Andrusca reasserted himself in the third to take all three judges’ scorecards and improve to 9-0.

In the aftermath, Wood took to X to address the result directly. “Any given Sunday,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, I didn’t perform how I could or should have, sorry to my team for not doing what I needed. Losing really does spark something inside, I’ll be right back.”

The defeat drops Wood to 23-7. Before Saturday’s setback, the fighter known as “The Last Kingsman” had strung together wins over Morgan Charriere, Jose Delgado and Losene Keita, establishing himself as a credible contender in the featherweight division.

Andrusca’s performance is among the more remarkable UFC debut results in recent memory. Stepping in on minimal preparation against a seasoned, ranked opponent and winning convincingly on the scorecards will inevitably raise his profile — and his ranking — overnight. For Wood, the loss is a significant setback, though his record of bouncing back from defeats gives his promise of a swift return some credibility.