Nathaniel Wood has a new opponent for UFC Paris on Saturday night.
The featherweight veteran was supposed to put his #8 spot in the Meta Rankings on the line against Mairon Santos.
However, the 17-1 Brazilian pulled out of their fight due to an undisclosed health problem last week.
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Pavel Andrusca joins UFC Paris
It was uncertain if Nathaniel Wood would remain on the card in France until Monday evening.
According to a report from MMA journalist Marcel Dorff, he’ll now face Pavel Andrusca at the Accor Arena.
Wood’s new opponent boasts an 8-0 professional MMA record, which includes six knockout victories.
The 24-year-old from Moldova earned his call-up to MMA’s premier promotion with three consecutive first-round stoppage wins.
Andrusca could be ranked among the featherweight elite if he improves to 9-0 against Wood this weekend.
Nathaniel Wood vs. Pavel Andrusca#UFCParis – Saturday. pic.twitter.com/TTGTI5Fara— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) August 31, 2026
Who else is fighting at UFC Paris?
Salahdine Parnasse will make his eagerly anticipated promotional debut in the main event of UFC Paris.
The former two-weight KSW champion is set to face lightweight veteran Dan Hooker over five rounds.
Check out the full UFC Paris card below.
Dan Hooker vs. Salahdine Parnasse
Farès Ziam vs. Axel Sola
Michael ‘Venom’ Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
Daniil Donchenko vs. Punahele Soriano
Morgan Charrière vs. Felipe Lima
Losene Keita vs. Muhammad Naimov
Mario Pinto vs. Ryan Spann
Kurtis Campbell vs. Trevor Peek
Oumar Sy vs. Modestas Bukauskas
Nathaniel Wood vs. Pavel Andrusca
Michael Aljarouj vs. Fabia Sintes
Nora Cornolle vs. Klaudia Syguła
Matthieu Duclos vs. Luis Felipe Dias
Delphine Benouaich vs. Sofia Montenegro
2026-08-31 23:30:00
