‘It can be living nightmare’ – how UFC’s Wood sought help for OCD

Nathaniel Wood’s two daughters are the first thing that he mentions when he sits down for his interview.

Wood is delighted to learn that Layla and Arla, both one, have joined him in Abu Dhabi.

The 32-year-old Londoner has invited his family over to watch his UFC 321 fight with Jose Delgado, including his wife, mother, and father.

Because things have already gone wrong without them, Wood needs to have his family with him in order to get in the right headspace before a fight.

“I’m thinking about going home if I’m not with them.” Every two seconds, Wood tells BBC Sport, “I’m checking my phone to see what’s going on.”

They can concentrate on the task at hand because I have them here. I feel much more at ease.

Wood is at ease as he shakes hands with his family and responds to BBC Sport’s questions with conviction while having a friendly family nearby.

But for him in Abu Dhabi, things haven’t always been this way.

Before his daughters were born in 2023, Wood was the subject of Muhammad Naimov’s brutal assault after having a mental health issue.

Wood has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental illness that causes compulsive behavior and obsessive thoughts.

It “comes in waves.” You can be completely fine at times, but then you could experience a “dark cloud day” where you just become anxious and fixated on something, Wood says.

“Unfortunately, fight week was when I had a chance. I was having incredibly bad anxiety as I flew out.

OCD keeps telling me, “I can’t move on when I have it.” I didn’t care about the fight for the entire week. I was just obsessing over and thinking about things that I didn’t need to.

It consumes a lot of energy. You’re thinking about that thought every second of the day, not anything else. I might be talking to you right now, but I’m also considering other options.

He claims that his obnoxious thoughts can be related to a variety of subjects, but cites health issues as an “prime example.”

Wood says, “I could be having a slight headache and thinking, “I’ve got a brain bleed, or brain cancer,” and I can’t let the thought go.

“And then it makes you anxious, and then it makes you ruminate more.” When you’re in that room, you’re living a nightmare.

Before urging people to never “ever be afraid to go to the doctors” if they believe they have the disorder, Wood claims he has sought medical attention from therapists and is currently taking medication for it.

“I have a very good family, and I’m very fortunate. I have people to talk to, along with my wife, my mom, and my dad. I believe that’s a very dark place for those who don’t, he says.

Personally, I think you can get a little calm when I express my worries. Not as bad as you imagine.

You can pretend to have real nightmares while playing your own.

Wood jokes that he won’t be eating much because of the weight loss in his featherweight (11st 5lb) fight with Delgado after taking his family to the local mall for dinner.

With just one defeat in 11 fights, American fighter Delgado is a rising star.

Wood, who has lost just one of his previous eight matches, is the underdog.

Wood concentrates on defeating Delgado because his family is close by.

“I’ve heard that being busy and talking to someone help me.” When I’m occupied and have things in mind, my mind doesn’t go crazy like it does when I have nothing to do, says Wood.

“This is my fourth fight in Abu Dhabi,” I said. I lost two games and one win.

“I’m going into this fight with full intentions to win this fight as best and as impressively as I can,” I say.