'I belong here': Jacksonville's Reggie Northrup ready for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA test
A dozen years ago, Reggie Northrup was flattening running backs in Jacksonville.
On Friday night, he shows off a different set of hometown skills inside the mixed martial arts cage as the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA series arrives at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The fight card begins at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m.
Northrup, 1-0 in his professional MMA career, fights against Cody Herbert (3-3) in a heavyweight clash.
A longtime mixed martial arts enthusiast turned full-speed fighter, Northrup has more reason for excitement than just the hometown opportunity: He's fighting on a card that includes two past UFC champions in Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum, who square off in the main event.
"This is high-level martial arts, man," Northrup said in a Wednesday interview with the Times-Union. "They're world-class guys and I grew up watching some of their fights, and I get to do this in front of my family and friends."
STARTING ON THE FIRST COAST
Contact is nothing new for the 29-year-old Northrup, who played high school football on Jacksonville's Northside at First Coast and helped the Buccaneers to the Florida High School Athletic Association state final in 2011.
He earned the Times-Union's All-First Coast defensive player of the year award that season, a year capped by a 75-yard fumble return that helped defeat Lakeland 24-14 in the Class 7A semis.
At Florida State, Northrup earned acclaim as an iron-man linebacker, never missing a game despite multiple injuries and leading the Seminoles in tackles in 2014 and 2015 while helping the team to a national championship in the 2013 season.
"All the bright lights and stuff, it's nothing new to me," Northrup said. "I don't get star-struck and I feel like I belong here… when I was at Florida State in our championship year, I had cameras in my face every other day."
For all his college success, though, Northrup didn't land an NFL Draft selection. After brief stops in training camps with Washington and Los Angeles and stints in spring leagues with the Alliance of American Football and the XFL, he began to focus more of his attention to mixed martial arts.
Even before turning his attention to MMA competition, he was already accomplished in one-on-one battles, qualifying for the FHSAA wrestling tournament as a sophomore and a junior at First Coast.
After fighting at amateur level for several years, he made his professional MMA debut last December inside Kissimmee's Silver Spurs Arena, defeating Mike Johnson by first-round technical knockout in the iKON Fighting Championship.
Like Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, the series is organized by longtime MMA contender Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal, a giant in the sport who fought for a UFC title in Jacksonville two years ago, said Wednesday that he's impressed with Northrup's skill set.
"When he smells the blood, he attacks, and he's also a very good athlete," Masvidal said.
REGGIE KNOWS... FOOTBALL AND MMA
Even Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders didn't mix football with bare-knuckle brawling.
While continuing his MMA transition, Northrup hasn't put the brakes on his football career to step into the cage. As recently as this summer, Northrup bashed blockers and ran over running backs for the XFL's D.C. Defenders.
For Friday, he said he's expecting a "little army" of local fans to cheer him on inside the arena Friday.
Northrup has fought in Jacksonville before, although Friday's bout will be by far his most significant in the city. He began his MMA career at amateur level at the end of 2020, winning his debut by submission in 68 seconds.
Compared to those days, or even his pro debut in 2022, Northrup said he's on a "whole other level."
"Overall, I've been improving my skills, sharpening the toolbox, getting some new plays in my playbook," Northrup said. "Now I'm ready to show what I can do."
GAMEBRED BAREKNUCKLE MMA 5
When: 7 p.m. Friday (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Where: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Reggie Northrup, Florida State linebacker, fights at Jacksonville MMA
