Regan Upshaw’s journey from NCAA to ONE Championship: “It’s always been in my realm”

He wasn’t on a team. He had no recruiting profile. His parents drove past the Clemson camp on a random afternoon and asked if he wanted to stop. He got out of the car, did his thing, and got an offer. That is how Regan Upshaw’s path to two NCAA National Championships began — and the same instinct that put him in that camp is now putting him on the ONE Championship stage.

Upshaw makes his professional MMA debut against British heavyweight Paul “King of the North” Elliott at ONE Fight Night 44: Jarvis vs. Rungrawee II on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 26.

The 28-year-old Tampa native won two NCAA College Football National Championships at Clemson University, spent six seasons as a defensive end for the Tigers, and walked away from professional football to pursue the sport he had wanted to do since watching PRIDE fights as a kid. He started martial arts training in Ohio, relocated to Denver to join High Altitude Martial Arts, and has been unbeaten across amateur MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing competition since.

Football was never the final destination. Even while the championships were being won and the NFL was a realistic option, the pull toward fighting never disappeared.

“Fighting is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve seen PRIDE — the old PRIDE fights a long time ago. I’d seen big events when I was a kid. It’s always been in my realm, so to speak. So, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.

“The opportunity was on the table. I could have done my pro day, I could have gone and probably made a team doing special teams. I had a bunch of freak numbers. But the reality is football was no longer for me. It served its purpose.”

Regan Upshaw built his fighting career the same way he built his football career

Regan Upshaw arrived at High Altitude Martial Arts without announcing himself. He joined the beginner class, trained like everyone else, and trusted that the results would come. They came quickly.

That approach traces back to a habit he developed in college: identifying a word for the year and using it as a compass for every decision. The word that moved him from Ohio to Denver was “elevate.” He found Team Elevation on YouTube while researching gyms. He pulled the trigger.

“I was doing some research on YouTube and saw some top coaches training in Denver. One of the walls said Team Elevation. I always put things together. I’m always looking for clues like that. And I pulled the trigger,” he said.

“High Altitude was my first gym, and I just went into the normal beginner class and trained like everybody else. I didn’t announce myself or what I wanted to do or anything of that nature. I just went to work and started getting noticed.”