Casey Kenney | Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Casey Kenney is getting his wish.
Following a one-sided beatdown of Alatengheili at UFC Fight Island 4 this past weekend, Kenney (15-2-1) made it clear that he wanted to stay in Abu Dhabi so that he could be booked on one of the UFC’s remaining cards on Yas Island. MMA Fighting has confirmed with people with knowledge of the matchup that he will fight Nathaniel Wood (17-4) in a 140-pound catchweight bout at UFC 254 on Oct. 24, following an initial report by MMA H.E.A.T.
Kenney, 29, is 4-1 in the UFC so far, with veteran names such as Louis Smolka and Ray Borg among his wins. He has won two straight fights and eight of his last nine.
This is Wood’s third appearance of 2020. The 27-year-old Englishman is 1-1 on the year, having followed up a TKO loss to John Dodson in February with a unanimous decision nod over John Castaneda five months later. A former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion. Wood began his UFC career with three straight finishes and has won nine of his last 10 fights.
UFC 254 is headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Justin Gaethje.