In his first job after college, Archie Colgan sold printers and copiers, but grew tired of being a facsimile of himself.
He got along well with his boss, walked into his office and quit to pursue a career as a cage fighter.
“I was nervous. That first hour after I did it, I was like, ‘Oh (shoot!). What am I doing? What am I thinking?’^” Colgan said. “I remember sitting in my Volkswagen I used to have and wondering if I made a huge mistake.”
Colgan decided to follow his heart in 2019 after his first amateur fight. He had no idea if he would be any good, and his wedding was approaching. Nothing about the decision made sense. Accept this: He was at peace.
Archie Colgan prepares to close shop to return home with his wife and kids after a training session at ONX Sports in Arvada, Colorado on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“It was weird. Even shortly after, when I wasn’t making any money, I was still so happy I did it,” Colgan said. “It felt good.”
Colgan mocked the ordinary life, and lost himself in the fight game. His instincts were right. When “King” Colgan worked over Thibault Gouti last month in Paris at the Bellator Championship Series, he improved to 10-0 as a professional in the 155-pound weight class. It no longer requires squinting to see a title fight in his future based on his current trajectory.
Fighting a family affair
While Colgan finished up a recent workout with something that resembled headstand pushups, wife Teslin smiled as the couple’s sons Quentin (three) and Kanan (one) caused havoc on an adjacent wrestling mat. The Colgans have become a fight family, the boys spending time with their dad during evening workouts and watching his bouts with mom.
“It’s kind of funny when people ask, ‘What does your husband do?’ I tell them he’s a fighter,” Teslin said. “Based on their reaction it isn’t normal, but it is normal to us.”
Teslin had no reservations about Archie changing careers with no guarantees. The couple met when they were in their first years of school at Wyoming, where Archie starred as a wrestler.
“I had made some money as a respiratory therapist while on a travel contract in Chicago so I felt like we could patch things together. And I was really happy for him, confident in what he was doing,” Teslin said. “He was a little depressed before that. He needed to do something he enjoyed to fuel that competitive drive.”
The transition made sense given his grappling background. Colgan won a state title at 160 pounds for Pomona High School in his senior season. At Wyoming, his aggressive, attacking style made him successful. He posted 111 victories and claimed a Big 12 crown in 2018. The abrupt ending of walking off the mat proved difficult.
LEFT— Professional MMA fighter and Colorado native Archie Colgan stands in his room in front of a framed University of Wyoming singlet at his home in Thornton, Colorado on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. CENTER— Colgan grapples with his son, Quentin, on a wrestling mat in the garage of their home on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. RIGHT— Teslin Colgan holds her son, Kanan, as she talks to her husband, Archie, as he finishes a wrestling session at ONX Sports in Arvada, Colorado on Thursday, June 6, 2024.(Photos by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Staying fit and getting bit by fight bug
Looking to stay in shape, Colgan found himself working out at Lifetime Fitness when former Wyoming wrestler Justin Salas recognized him and introduced himself. Salas was teaching combat classes, which piqued Colgan’s interest.
“I started showing him footwork I had shown other guys,” said Salas, a former UFC fighter. “It honestly takes years to get this stuff, and a lot of great wrestlers never figure it out. Archie was such a good athlete that he could emulate things. He picked up stuff really quickly. I have a feel for what it takes, the mental and physical requirements, and I started telling him he should try an MMA fight.”
A suggestion was all it took. Colgan was already hooked. He made his amateur debut on Nov. 2, 2019, posting a first-round knockout. Two more KOs followed, leading him to turn professional in 2021. While Teslin was on board, Archie remembers having delicate conversations about his new career with his parents, Ed and Josephine. This wasn’t exactly his major in college.
“They knew I loved fighting because they raised me and I grew up watching it. I asked to box as a kid, and my dad wouldn’t let me. I am thankful he didn’t. But when it came time for me to fight, he said I will go,” Colgan said. “My mom was the opposite. ‘I won’t go,’ she told me. Like two days before the fight she came to me and asked ‘Did you save me a ticket?’^”
Josephine gave Archie her blessing after seeing him compete, recognizing his joy for the sport. Ed supports Archie, but has reservations because of what can happen when a fight goes wrong.
“I am his son. I am 28, and my sons will always be the little boys who run into my arms and give me kisses, so I get it,” Colgan said. “He doesn’t want to see me get hurt.”
Kanan Colgan reaches for his father Archie’s attention as the elder Colgan finishes a wrestling session, while his other son Quentin looks on at ONX Sports in Arvada, Colorado on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Discipline defines Colgan in and out of ring
Danger exists in every corner and crevice, but Colgan minimizes risks with his relentless training. Watch him spar and it is easier to worry about his opponent’s face turning into a gargoyle. Colgan strikes with power and purpose. MMA is the science of violence. It goes against a wrestler’s DNA, learning to stand up and throw hands.
“Archie’s a talent. He’s part of the new breed of athlete entering MMA,” said Ben Cherrington, a former University of Northern Colorado wrestling coach, NCAA champion, and part of Colgan’s training group. “It’s no longer tough guys who get in the ring and see what happens.”
What separates Colgan is his discipline. Given his unblemished record, it was assumed his practice was simply going to the farthest neutral corner. Colgan, who stands 5-foot-9, trains six days a week, year round. His routine includes sparring, wrestling – as many as three 90 minute sessions per day – running at Red Rocks and eating pre-made meals from My Fit Foods.
It’s no wonder Colgan has less fat than a Wheat-Thin.
LEFT— Professional MMA fighter and Colorado native Archie Colgan works to apply a rear naked choke on Jake Richardson at Easton BJJ in Denver on Monday, June 10, 2024. CENTER— Colgan takes a breather after a training session at Easton BJJ. RIGHT—Archie Colgan runs while holding Richardson during a training session at Easton BJJ in Denver on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Photos by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“To be a successful fighter you have to do things day in and day out that other people can’t do and won’t do,” said Salas, who is in the corner for Colgan’s fights. “Archie is world-class in that way.”
Early in his pro career, Colgan captured the attention of Kamaru Usman, considered the best welterweight in UFC history. Their friendship is another piece of the puzzle that has helped Colgan become a rising star.
“We made a connection. One, through fighting and training together. And two, there was an African connection. I am Ghanaian. He’s Nigerian. He found out we both wrestled in college in small towns. He went to Nebraska-Kearney. I am sure the connections were just firing off,” Colgan said. “And he kind of took me under his wing.”
It is a role Colgan knows well. So humble that he never brought it up during a 45-minute interview, Colgan is a coach for the Mile High Wrestling Club, helping grapplers ages 6 to 18.
“He’s great with the kids, a really good role model,” said Salas, who coaches club with him. “Archie is a huge inspiration to others.”
Watching highlights of Colgan in the ring, he is strong, technically sound, his fists capable of making an opponent see the ceiling, while his triangle choke hold submission is always lurking.
Colgan loves wrestling. But he has found his identity in the cage.
His passion has become his profession that no copy machine can duplicate.
“It’s about more than doing the right things, it’s about believing you should win. That mindset in fighting came clear to me where it wasn’t in wrestling,” Colgan said. “When I first started, it was just about competing again and getting my hand raised. Now, I enjoy every part of the process. I spend hours training for 15 minutes and it goes by in a blink. But that walk from the (locker room) to the cage? I feel so alive. There’s nothing like it in the world.”
Professional MMA fighter and Colorado native Archie Colgan shadow boxes at Easton BJJ in Denver on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)