Balancing Act: Former FSU Star Reggie Northrup Keeps Football Dream Alive While Jockeying MMA Career

Nicknamed the "Black Dragon," Northrup is hoping to work his way into the UFC.

There have been plenty of dual-sport athletes in professional sports. One that instantly comes to mind is the legendary Deion Sanders, who starred at Florida State before playing for the NFL and MLB at the same time.

However, there might only be one athlete who is toiling away in startup professional football leagues while carving out a career in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). 

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Former Florida State linebacker Reggie Northrup is one of a kind.

Northrup went undrafted in 2016 and had stints with Washington and the Los Angeles Rams but failed to latch on in the NFL. After suiting up in the CFL, AAF, and XFL, he began taking a serious interest in another contact sport.

The Florida native stepped into the octagon for the first time on December 19, 2020. Nicknamed the "Black Dragon," he's opened up his career with six straight wins and is 1-0 as a pro after defeating Mike Johnson at IKON FC 6 in December. 

"It's definitely a serious task trying to manage being a professional athlete in two different sports. It all has something to do with the person, individually, I'm kind of missing a couple of screws, in a good way though," Northrup said on DC and RC. "Real ambitious, my plan is to be one of the baddest athletes to ever walk the planet, join that class of gentlemen that's in our history as far as sports."

While being profiled on ESPN's RC & DC by former NFL star Ryan Clark and former UFC champion Daniel Cormier, both athletes were impressed by Northrup's journey. This is a unique path but Northrup is quickly gaining attention for his feat in each sport.

He's coming off a season with the D.C. Defenders where the team came up short in the championship game. Northrup tied for tenth in the XFL with 50 tackles and two tackles for loss.

"You have a guy in Reggie Northrup that is now trying to become a two-sport athlete in a way we've never seen it" Clark said. "We've seen the Bo Jackson, we've seen the Deion Sanders but to be fighting in mixed martial arts and now be part of the D.C. Defenders, I think this is something that's very different. And he mentioned kind of having some screws loose, when I think of football, playing in pads, that makes sense to me. When I think of what you guys to do as mixed martial artists, that don't make no sense to me.

"For a dude that played at Florida State that was with Washington in 2016 to now be doing both of these things, I do think it's a new step in a different direction," Clark continued. "In a sport that hasn't had a ton of Daniel Cormier's, hasn't had a ton of Jon Jones or Kamaru Usman's at the top, it is really cool to see this young man taking an interest in both sports and working to do both at a professional level."

Cormier is one of the most famous names in UFC history after holding the light heavyweight championship and heavyweight championship during his career. He says a lot of football players dabble in combat sports while training but Northrup took it a step further.

"For Reggie Northrup, it's the next step. You've got guys like Lane Johnson, guys like yourself [Clark], who even when you're in your playing career, you train mixed martial arts, you train boxing, you did all those things as a cross-training way of just breaking up the monotony of every day," Cormier said. "Lifting weights, running, you don't want to do the same thing every day. So you go and you box, and you go and you do mixed martial arts, you cross-train something different."

"What it seems like Reggie's doing is just taking the next step in that journey. Going from just training it to doing it professionally. He won his professional debut, he fought in Gamebred's organization, he's going to play for the D.C. Defenders in the XFL," Cormier continued. "He's doing them both and he's doing them both at the same time. It's a very impressive thing and it's impressive to see a young black man not only living one dream but pursuing two dreams at the same time. Congratulations Reggie! We're going to be following your journey as you try to do something that really is unheralded and unheard of."

Northrup hasn't fought since his pro debut in December but it wouldn't be surprising to see him schedule another bout soon with the XFL season complete. In his eight years since leaving Florida State, he's played in five different professional leagues (NFL, CFL, AAF, XFL, USFL) and that doesn't include his second stint in the XFL.

The former Seminole is simply enjoying the ride.

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Dustin Lewis
DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined NoleGameday in 2016 and is currently in the role of Editor-In-Chief. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis contributes to football, recruiting, and basketball coverage. Connect with Dustin on Twitter at @DustinLewisNG.