Having spent the prior year and a half without a fight, welterweight Bobby Nash was more than eager to get back in the cage and compete again when he faced Spencer Jebb in the first round of the XFC’s 170-pound Grand Prix on November 11.
According to Nash, it didn’t take long for him to settle back into a fight after having such a long time off. In picking up a win just three and a half minutes into the fight, it was clear he had not lost a step.
“I was coming into that fight very ready,” Nash told MMAWeekly.com. “I had a lot respect for Spencer Jebb. He’s really tough; being able to finish a guy like Spencer in round one the way I did gives me a lot of confidence. I’m pretty happy about it.
“It had been a year and a half since my last fight. I was eager to get in there and showcase my skills. Being able to go in there and fight was awesome. It’s been a year and a half, and I’ve been in the gym every day, so it was nice going out and fighting.”
Having previously last fought in May of 2019, Nash feels like the fighter he is over a year later is far better than he one he was last time he stepped into the cage.
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“I’ve been working on all my skills. I’ve really been focusing on my striking and my conditioning,” said Nash. “I come from a college wrestling background, so some of the skills I needed work on was my striking, my MMA transitions, and my conditioning.
“I always believed that if I got in better shape and fixed a few things I could be one of the best in the world. I’ve been fixing a lot of things I needed to. I think I’m a better fighter this year than last year, and next year I’ll be even better by leaps and bounds.”
After having to wait such a long time between bouts, being part of the XFC’s welterweight tournament means that Nash knows who he’s fighting next, which he feels will make for an even better performance next time out.
“I love the tournament style,” Nash said. “I can study the bracket. Usually I don’t get an opponent until a few weeks out, so having an opponent now and being able to study him already is awesome. The more time I have to study my opponents the better I’m going to be in the cage.”
Bobby Nash loves the tournament format of XFC welterweight grand prix