King of the Cage Champ Wes Combs Just Following the Blueprint Laid Out Before Him

It took just over a minute for King of the Cage cruiserweight champion Wes “Soldier” Combs to successfully defend his title at KOTC: World Championships on May 25, raising his winning streak to four fights in a row.

Following the game plan set up for him by coach Rob Nickerson of Reaction MMA, Combs knocked out Esteves Jones and finished his third fight out of four in fewer than two minutes.

“My coach planned it all out and he told me to stick to the game plan, trust it, and that’s exactly what I did and I knocked him out,” said Combs.

“The game plan was basically to go forward and throw the right hand. He liked to throw a lot of hooks, so I just had to beat him to the punch. So when he kept doing it, I stuck the game plan and dropped the right hand every time I saw him flinch and landed it on the button.”

Ever since Combs relocated back to Kentucky and began working with Nickerson, he feels he’s peaking all over again.

“I feel like the best I’ve felt in years,” said Combs. “I moved a year and a half ago and got back out here and got a new coach in the last couple months and I compare him to Greg Jackson, but of the East Coast, just methodical.

“(Nickerson) puts it all together. He watches the video and tells me what we’re going to do versus me trying to figure it out.”

Having been seven years since he last fought in the UFC, the 39-year-old Combs told MMAWeekly.com that he feels that now is the time if he’s going to make a shot at fighting at the next level.

“Time is against me and I’m on the backside of the age bracket, but I feel good right now, so the feeling is to strike while the iron is hot,” said Combs. “I feel good, so let’s do it.

“I just kind of put it into Rob’s hands and he’s searching out and whatever he finds, I’ll take it. Let’s get some action going.”