Following a year and a half layoff, welterweight Bobby Nash returned to action this past November in about as strong of a fashion as he could have, picking up a first round TKO of Spencer Jebb in the first round of the XFC welterweight tournament.
Not only did picking up the win prove to be a big boost for Nash’s return, but also the way he was able to do it helped validate the effort the put into his game during the layoff.
“It was awesome,” Nash told MMAWeekly.com. “(Jebb) was a really tough guy. I knew I had my hands full with him.
“When I got that big knockout over him it gave me a ton of confidence, and it showed me all the work I’ve been doing with my hands and my striking is paying off. I’m really happy with the win and I’m going into these semi-finals with good momentum.”
Over the course of the past few years, Nash has spent more time on the sidelines than in the cage. Rather than be down about his lack of cage time, Nash has used his layoffs to positively affect his fight game.
“I’ve had pretty long layoffs so it feels pretty good to be back in there,” said Nash. “During those layoffs I was training and focusing on getting better. I wasn’t really in a rush to fight because I knew I had to develop as a fighter.
“I believe now I’m at the absolute pinnacle of my career and the prime of my career. Those layoffs were wonderful, but I’m ready to get at it.”
On May 28 in Des Moines, Iowa, Nash (10-4) will look to keep his comeback going when he faces Ryan Dickson (11-5) at XFC 44 in the second round of the company’s 170-pound tournament.
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“When I stepped into the cage in the UFC (in 2017) I was the same fighter every single time,” Nash said. “Now when I step in the cage I want to be better, I want to be more well-rounded, I want to be different.
“Without a doubt you’re going to see the best Bobby Nash in the cage come May 28. You’re going to see a lot of cool stuff from me. I’ve been training a lot of fun neat stuff. I’ve been game planning. I plan on making an absolute statement.”
Though he does keep an eye towards what could be next in the XFC tournament, he knows that to advance he’s going to get past Dickson, so that is the main thing on his mind for now.
“My main focus is on Ryan Dickson, but that being said, being in a tournament I do check out all the guys and see what they’re all about and how I stack up against them,” said Nash. “Yeah, I’ll watch those guys, but my focus is 100% on Ryan Dickson and putting him away.”
Bobby Nash plans to make an ‘absolute statement’ at XFC 44