When your cousin is Dan Bobish, you get used to an intense sort of world.
Bobish is a 300-plus pound mountain of a man, focused and always looking to channel the energy and ferocity that made him an Ohio MMA pioneer and King of the Cage super heavyweight champion.
I cut my teeth in the MMA world working for his Ultimate Cage Battles promotion, were Dan hustled and sold most of the tickets himself, and was a stickler for details. I remember writing a press release where he wanted to stress that he was not a promoter, rather a fighter who promotes fights.
You can sense some of that same intensity in Bobish’s cousin Nick Walls (4-2), an amateur fighter who will face Elijah Humes (5-1) for the lightweight title at Ohio Combat League 9 this weekend.
“I thrive in these situations,” Walls said of getting his first title fight. “If you’re a real fighter you do. If you’re real, you are born for this and encourage these situations, and embrace adversity head on. I’ll shock some people.”
Walls is the type of fighter that fans love to watch – he’ll take a punch to give a punch, and he seamlessly transitions between striking and grappling.
He said that people would be surprised to learn that he never wrestled. His school didn’t have wrestling, so he played basketball instead.
The 27-year-old has earned all four of his wins via stoppage, including his last two via TKO in the first round. In his last fight, it took him just 12 seconds to finish an opponent with nearly twice as much experience as him.
He landed a big right hand with his opponent’s back on the cage, he crumpled, and that’s all there was.
That fight was almost a year ago, and in this world where lockdowns are the norm and people can go one of two ways, Walls decided to better himself.
“I’ve gotten in better shape and more well rounded and seasoned,” Walls said.
Walls now works with longtime fighter Cody Stevens – a local legend himself – at Wolverine MMA. Stevens had that same go-forward attitude that Walls now embodies.
“Cody Stevens is the hardest worker there is,” Walls said. “If you follow his work ethic, the sky is the limit.”
“I got started from watching my cousin growing up until I was old enough to get into a gym myself. Grew up fighting in backyards as a 16-year-old fighting 26-year-old men until I started training.”
Walls faces a stiff test in Humes, who comes in from Erie, Pennsylvania with four finishes in five wins and is the top ranked lightweight in the state according to Tapology.
Both fighters like to strike, so this could definitely be a memorable bout.
“I see this fight ending with my hand raised,” Walls said. “I’ll take it how I can get it. I’ll take what he gives me. I love to fight and have not much to lose in this situation.”
“Plus I pack a punch so that makes for a very difficult matchup for anyone.”
David McKinney will provide live commentary for Ohio Combat League 9. You can purchase the live PPV here.