The preliminary card fight between bantamweight warriors John Dodson and Nathaniel Wood at UFC Fight Night 167 inside the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho came to a very violent end as 'The Magician' Dodson knocked out Wood in the third and final round of an entertaining contest.
All it took was a barrage of hard strikes early on in the third round for Dodson to finish his counterpart and bring the crowd in attendance on their feet. The fight was well poised heading into the third round and was crawling towards a much dreaded judges' decision before Dodson lit Wood up.
Wood maintained pressure throughout the fight, keeping Dodson quiet for most parts of the fight until the latter took his opportunity in the third with a counter left hook which landed flush, following it up with some vicious ground and pound until the referee had to step in.
This was Dodson's first knockout in almost 4 years now and the win improved his record to 10-6 in the UFC and 21-11 in professional MMA. His opponent Wood however, saw his unbeaten run inside the Octagon come to a screeching halt. This was Wood's fourth loss in his entire MMA career and he has previously won 16 fights.