Robert Nash (born March 26, 1990) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

currently competing in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2010, he has formerly competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and RFA.

Background

Born and raised in

Roseville, Michigan Roseville is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a part of the Metro Detroit area. The population was 47,299 at the 2010 census. Until 1958, Roseville was a part of Erin Township. History The first permanent post ...

, Nash started wrestling at the age of five. He attended Roseville High School where he competed in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and football. During his senior season, Nash compiled a record of 62-1, capturing the state title at 152 lbs. and also had a third-place finish at 140 lbs. during his junior season. After graduating, Nash entertained offers from Division 1 wrestling colleges and chose Lindsey Wilson College where he wrestled for one year with scholarship. Wanting to wrestle in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

, he transferred to Michigan State University to continue wrestling for the Spartans. After graduating and earning his degree in sociology, he began training for MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Nash held an amateur record of 13–0 and was the WXC Amateur Welterweight Champion before making his professional debut in 2010. He compiled a record of 8–1 before being signed by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nash made his UFC debut against

Li Jingliang Li Jingliang ( Chinese: 李景亮; pinyin: Lǐ Jǐngliàng; born March 20, 1988) is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes as a welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 13, 2022, he is #15 in the UFC welterweight ...

UFC on Fox 23 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

on January 28, 2017. He lost via KO in the second round. In his second fight for the promotion, Nash faced Danny Roberts on July 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Nash faced

Song Kenan Song Kenan (; born March 10, 1990) is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes as a welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life and education Song got into martial arts in fifth grade as he began training in traditional C ...

on November 25, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Gastelum. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

XFC

Nash made his promotional debut for

XFC Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) is a premier international mixed martial arts (MMA) organization based in Spring Lake, Michigan, with offices throughout the United States and South America. The XFC showcases both male and female fighters, ad ...

against Spencer Jebb at XFC 43 on November 11, 2020. He won the bout via TKO in the first round.

XFC Welterweight Tournament

In the semi-finals of the XFC Welterweight Tournament, Nash faced Ryan Dickson at XFC 44 on May 28, 2021. He won the bout via KO in the first round and advanced to the final. Nash was scheduled to face

LaRue Burley LaRue Burley (born April 25, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of the XFC. A professional competitor since 2012, he has also fought in WSOF, Bellator MMA, King of the Cage and the RFA. ...

on August 6, 2021 at XFC 45 for the XFC welterweight tournament finals. However, roughly two weeks before XFC 45, Burley broke his hand during his last round of hard sparring, there being replaced by Quinton Parks Jr. on short notice in a bout that will not be part of the welterweight tournament. He won the bout via rear naked choke in the first round.

Bellator MMA

On October 18, 2022, it was announced that Nash had signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA.

Personal life

Nash has four siblings: three brothers and a sister. Two of his brothers, Chris and Kevin, also wrestled for Michigan State. Nash has a son, Zander (born 2018) with wife Jessica Nash (m.2020).

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Quinton Parks Jr. , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFC 45 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 ,

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

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Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, United States , XFC Welterweight Tournament Semi Final , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Spencer Jebb , TKO (punches) , XFC 43 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, United States , XFC Welterweight Tournament Quarter Final , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Mark Stoddard , TKO (punches) , WXC 78 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Southgate, Michigan Southgate is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 30,047 at the 2020 census. Southgate was incorporated as a city in October 1958, which was one of the last remaining portions of the now-defunct Ecorse Tow ...

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, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Danny Roberts , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

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, KO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:45 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Lewis Gonzalez , TKO (punches) , Global Knockout 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:18 ,

Jackson, California Jackson (formerly, Botilleas, Botilleas Spring, Bottileas, Bottle Spring, and Botellas) is a city in and the county seat of Amador County, California. Its population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census. The city is acc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Deray Davis , TKO (punches) , RFA 39: Barcelos vs. Moffett , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 , Hammond, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Angelo Trevino , Submission (guillotine) , Global Knockout 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Craig Fruth , KO (punch) , HFC 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 , Michigan City, Indiana, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Leonard Simpson , TKO (punches) , Triple X Legends 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:21 , Novi, Michigan, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Rocky Edwards , Decision (unanimous) , FCOC IV , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, North Carolina Jacksonville is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the 14th-largest city in North Carolina. Jacksonville is the county seat and most populous commu ...

, United States , , - , loss , align=center, 2–1 , Tenyeh Dixon , Decision (unanimous) , WXC 55 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marcus Ayub , Submission (guillotine choke) , Triple A MMA 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 , Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Jay Jackson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , WXC 52 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Bobby 1990 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Roseville, Michigan Sportspeople from Metro Detroit Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers