Bobby Nash isn’t the same fighter he was when his UFC tenure came to an end, as his recent fight results show.

After an 0-3 stint in the UFC from January-November 2017, Nash (11-4) was released from the promotion and contemplated retirement. Fighting wasn’t fun for him. But when XFC came along and gave him an offer, he decided to give it another shot – and he’s grown leaps and bounds ever since.

“A lot of it has been my maturity,” Nash recently told MMA Junkie. “I’ve matured as a human. I’ve matured as an athlete. Mentally, I’ve figured things out. I put a lot of time in. When I was in the UFC, I had only been a pro for about two-and-a-half years. Shoot, I’m going on almost six years now as a pro. I just matured and I’m seeing the fruits of my labor. I put a lot of work in. You’re just finally seeing it. Here I am, 31 and in the prime of my career.”

In his self-proclaimed “prime,” Nash has gone 3-0 with three first-round knockouts against Mark Stoddard, Spencer Jebb and Ryan Dickson. All the while, Nash is having some of the most fun he’s had in his career.

“I’m definitely enjoying it more,” Nash said. “I used to stress myself out a lot with fighting. Now, it’s just like I’m going to go out there and do what I’m going to do. I’m going to have fun. I’m very fortunate and very lucky to be able to continue to do this. I kind of put things into perspective of how fortunate and lucky I am. I’m just having fun and getting better.”

Jul 16, 2017; Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; Danny Roberts (red gloves) fights Bobby Nash (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at SSE Hydro. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports

Nash will return to the cage Friday at XFC 45 when he takes on Quinton Parks Jr., a short-notice replacement who stepped in when Bellator and WSOF alum LaRue Burley withdrew due to an injury. Nash plans to defeat Parks Jr. (9-3) before he gets rebooked against Burley (11-4) in the promotion’s postponed welterweight tournament final. After that, Nash would like to stay with the XFC if the money is right.

“Hopefully, I can renew my contract with XFC if they want to hopefully spend the money and give me what I feel like I’m worth,” Nash said. “If not, we’ll kind of see. I have a couple more years and a couple more fights left in me. I’m having fun. So that’s where I see myself right now. I’ll win the tournament. Then I’ll win the XFC title. Then I’ll see how the price of poker goes up after that, you know?”

XFC 45 takes place Friday at DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids, Mich. The card airs on FOX Sports 2.