Unlike some standout wrestlers who reach the end of their college careers, Archie Colgan didn’t force himself toward MMA.
Colgan, who wrestled at the University of Wyoming, finished his college career with a 78-32 record – and was just a single win short of All-American status his senior season in 2016-17. As it turned out, that was an important thing to have happened to him.
Had he become an All-American, he might not be one of Bellator’s most recent and highly regarded long-term signings.
“The deal I made to myself during my senior season was that if you become an All-American, then you’ll stay in wrestling and continue to train,” Colgan told MMA Junkie. “I did not become the All-American that I wanted (to be). In that time, I just kind of conceded and thought I was done being an athlete and I just graduated, came back to Denver and started working a job – and was doing fine with that.
“I found in a couple months after that, that competitive drive, that competitive nature, was not done – was not burned. So I didn’t just leave and force myself into MMA. It organically came. I ran into the right people at the right time, and it just took off.”
Colgan (4-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has one Bellator fight under his belt: a first-round slam TKO of Ben Simons at Bellator 265 in August 2021. A win under the Eagle FC banner followed in March, and now Colgan has a multifight deal with Bellator.
The “right people at the right time” include Trevor Wittman’s team in Colorado, which features UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former WSOF champ and recent UFC title challenger Justin Gaethje, and former UFC fighter Justin Salas, as well as Bellator fighters who can show him the ropes.
“Everything I do in this fight game, moving forward, is all new to me,” Colgan said. “I’m not some veteran, I’m not some seasoned guy who’s been through it. This is all kind of new stuff. So I trust the people around me who have been through it with other people – my coaches, management, and then those people in my life like training partners and teammates.
I think (Bellator is) a great promotion. They get really good publicity and they’re on Showtime now. They have a really good following. They do a good job of staying active and keeping their fighters going. I thought it was a good opportunity. They take care of their fighters. I have a couple teammates who fight for them, and they have good things to say.”
Colgan had an opponent set – Justin Montalvo – for Bellator 283, which takes place July 22 in Tacoma, Wash. But Montalvo pulled out. Colgan will stay on the card against a new opponent, but one that isn’t known just yet.
Still, he said it doesn’t matter as much at this early stage of his career who it is. He can change gears on short notice and get away with it.
“I just want to go out there and showcase what I’ve been working on since my last fight,” he said. “I’m not going to jump on here and say I’m going to knock this guy out in 10 seconds. But I think I’m in great shape. We’ve made a lot of improvements in my game since my last fight, and I just have to go out there and believe in it 100 percent and the rest will take care of itself.”
Archie Colgan’s move to Bellator came organically, like his move to MMA
