James Lee Irvin (born September 12, 1978) is a retired American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, who was a professional competitor from 2003 to 2012, Irvin is the former WEC Heavyweight Champion and has also competed in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

, Bellator and KSW.

Background

Irvin was born in

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as o ...

and attended

Del Oro High School Del Oro High School is in Loomis, California, and a part of the Placer Union High School District. The school opened for the instruction of freshmen and sophomores on September 28, 1959, one week after Colfax opened. It was founded in 1958 a ...

Loomis, California Loomis (formerly Pine, Pino, Smithville, and Placer) is an incorporated town in Placer County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The town's population was reported as 6,836 in the 2020 census. It shares ...

, where he played football. Irvin's football career continued at

Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private evangelical research university in Azusa, California, United States. The university was founded in 1899 in Whittier, California, with classes first held on March 3, 1900, and degrees offered in 193 ...

, which he attended on an athletic scholarship. Irvin was first introduced to MMA when he saw a match in person, and was very interested. He immediately started Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and began training to become a fighter.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After losing to Mike Kyle in his UFC debut, Irvin returned to the promotion at UFC 54 against

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

specialist and former collegiate wrestler Terry Martin. The much shorter Martin dominated Irvin in round one, but as soon as the bell sounded to start the second round, Irvin came out and landed a

flying knee A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike (attack), strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. ...

that rendered Martin unconscious. Commentator

Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', which is o ...

called the KO the "best flying knee" he had ever seen. Irvin defeated Hector Ramirez at UFC 65 via TKO in the second round after dropping Ramirez with a stiff jab, following with a kick to the body, and finishing the fight on the ground with elbows. Both fighters were awarded '' Fight of the Night'' awards. Irvin faced UFC newcomer Thiago Silva on May 26, 2007 at UFC 71. He lost after injuring his knee during one of Silva's takedowns in the first round. Irvin won a disqualification victory over the formerly undefeated Luiz Cané at UFC 79 after he was illegally kneed in the head by Cané. On April 2, 2008, Irvin fought

Houston Alexander Houston Alexander (born March 22, 1972) is an American former professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed in 2017. A professional competitor since 2001, he has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bell ...

as the opening fight on the main card of '' UFC Fight Night: Kenny Florian vs Joe Lauzon'', knocking Alexander out with a superman punch in 8 seconds. This fight earned him a $20,000 '' Knockout of the Night'' award. The 8-second knockout tied the record of fastest knockout in UFC history until UFC 239, where Jorge Masvidal broke the record with a 5-second KO. Irvin was supposed to fight

Rashad Evans Rashad Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division. Evans started his professional MMA career in 2003, and was the Heavyw ...

at ''

UFC 85 ''UFC 85: Bedlam'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on June 7, 2008, at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. Background The card was plagued by a number of injuries sustained by scheduled fight ...

'' in London, England but he sustained a foot injury that forced him to pull out and Evans was removed from the card as well. When the UFC's middleweight champion

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 ...

was to make his light-heavyweight division debut, Irvin became his opponent after four other fighters had already declined. '' UFC: Silva vs Irvin'' was intentionally scheduled for July 19, 2008 in order to conflict with the pay-per-view broadcast of '' Affliction: Banned''. Despite Irvin being the larger fighter, he was regarded as a significant underdog. At about one minute into the first round, Silva caught a kick dealt by Irvin and knocked him down with a straight right hand. Silva then followed with a barrage of punches ending the fight by KO. Afterwards, Irvin tested positive for

methadone Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid used medically to treat chronic pain and opioid use disorder. Prescribed for daily use, the medicine relieves cravings and opioid withdrawal sym ...

and

oxymorphone Oxymorphone (sold under the brand names Numorphan and Opana among others) is a highly potent opioid analgesic indicated for treatment of severe pain. Pain relief after injection begins after about 5–10 minutes; after oral administration it ...

. Irvin subsequently admitted to taking the drugs, stating that he had begun taking painkillers legally as treatment for injuries, and had then become addicted to them.Irvin Back in the UFC After Battling Drugs and Injuries
", TSN.ca, March 16, 2010. Irvin was scheduled to return at '' UFC 98'' against

Drew McFedries Michael Andrew "Drewbie" McFedries (born July 27, 1978) is an American retired mixed martial artist. McFedries formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Titan Fighting Championship, Titan FC and Shooto. Background McFedries ...

, making his debut as a middleweight. However, he was unable to fight because of a torn meniscus. Irvin injured his knee, forcing him out of a planned middleweight fight against Wilson Gouveia at UFC 102. This would be second straight event Irvin has backed out of due to the same injury. Irvin then confirmed he would return on one of the UFC's three shows in March, and was later added to the card at UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones where he made his debut as a middleweight against

Alessio Sakara Alessio Sakara (born September 2, 1981) is an Italian professional mixed martial artist, former professional boxer and Sanshou kickboxer, currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sakara has als ...

. Irvin was defeated in the first round after receiving a punch straight in the eye. He covered up and the referee called timeout, assuming an eye poke had occurred. The replay showed that Sakara delivered a legal punch to Irvin's eye, and the fight ended in a TKO victory for Sakara. Irvin then returned to light heavyweight and faced Igor Pokrajac on August 1, 2010 at UFC on Versus 2. Midway through the first round, Irvin was taken down and was hit by Pokrajac's shoulder as he hit the floor. While visibly hurt, Irvin rolled over and was submitted by a rear naked choke. Irvin was released from the UFC following his loss to Pokrajac, his third straight loss with the promotion. President

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

was complimentary of Irvin, saying he expects to see Irvin back in the

someday.

Independent promotions

After his release from the UFC, Irvin went on to face and defeat Angel DeAnda in

Roseville, California Roseville is the most populous city in Placer County, California, located within the Sacramento metropolitan area. As of 2019, the United States Census Bureau, US Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 141,500, making it the third-l ...

on October 2, 2010 at a Rebel Fights event by way of KO to Win Rebel Fight Heavyweight Championship. Irvin next faced Jorge Oliveira on December 2, 2010 at "Tachi Palace Fights 7: Deck the Halls". Irvin was defeated by Oliveira in the first round by

triangle choke A triangle choke, or sankaku-jime (三角絞) in judo, is a type of figure-four chokehold that encircles the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. Applying pressure using both legs and ...

. James Irvin next fought Mike Crisman at Gladiator Challenge Young Guns 4 on January 29, 2011 with special guest

Ken Shamrock Kenneth Wayne Shamrock ( né Kilpatrick; born February 11, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Ken Shamrock. He is best known ...

serving as the referee. The much bigger and stronger Irvin was caught early in the fight by a well placed punch by Crisman. The vet quickly recovered, and caught a sluggish leg kick, taking Crisman down. Crisman scrambled to get back up and was apparently hit with an illegal knee. With Crisman unable to continue, the fight was ruled a no contest because Shamrock judged that the illegal knee was unintentional. Irvin went on to say, "I beat the brakes off this fool...he was sleeping on the ground.

says I illegally kneed him, so it was a no-contest! I KO'd this guy and walked away before Shamrock even got there, and two minutes later, he says it's a no-contest. It's cool. I don't have a scratch on me, and I'm fighting again in three weeks. That was the luckiest night of that dude's life." Ken Shamrock turned down an offer to fight Irvin. Irvin said from the start that he had a bad feeling about Ken calling the bout.

revealed that he will face Irvin at Shark Fights 14 on March 11 in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

Shark Fights Shark Fights was a mixed martial arts promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having past and present UFC fighters Jorge Masv ...

was ultimately forced to cancel the scheduled Irvin vs Alexander II bout after Irvin tested positive for

steroid A steroid is an organic compound with four fused compound, fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes t ...

s, along with Alexander sustaining an injury during training. Irvin tested positive for epitrenbolone metabolite trenbolone. A

used for muscle growth in

body builder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

s and

farm animal Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

s. While currently suspended from competition in the United States, Irvin opted go to Europe for his next fight. He faced

Mamed Khalidov Mamed Khalidov ( rus, Мамед Магомедович Халидов, Mamed Magomedovich Khalidov, mɐˈmʲɛt maɣɔmʲɛdɔvʲit͡ʂ xɐˈlʲidəf; ; born 17 July 1980) is a Polish mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the ...

in the main event of KSW 15 on March 19, 2011 and lost by submission. James Irvin has stated that 2011 will be his "learning year" and wants to earn his way back to the UFC in 2012. Since leaving the UFC he has gone 3-2-1. James has re-located his training to the UFC gym in Corona, and expects to return to action by December 2 when his suspension is lifted. He also hopes to continue fighting at 185 lbs if possible. On February 26, 2012 Irvin was scheduled to fight Brandon Halsey at Gladiator Challenge Bombs Away, but Halsey was replaced by Geovantie Davis the day of the fight. Irvin defeated Davis via TKO. This was his first win since late 2010. Irvin faced yet another Gladiator Challenge Opponent at their March 30 show, "Ringside." A late replacement for a previous unknown opponent, Mike LaFlair was not of the same caliber as Irvin and was mercifully taken down early and submitted at 1:22 of the first round. In his next fight, he fought Scott Rosa and lost by TKO (knees and punches) in round 2.

Bellator MMA

In May 2014, it was confirmed that Irvin had signed with

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

. He was expected to face Brennan Ward at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014. However, the bout was cancelled. Irvin was then expected to face Brian Rogers at Bellator 125. Irvin pulled out of the bout due to injury and was replaced with Brett Cooper.

Personal life

Irvin is married. Irvin's family owns a construction business and he works construction when he is not fighting. Irvin’s brother, Jesse Irvin is a deputy with the Solano county Sheriffs office. As of 2015, Irvin is a Mixed Martial Arts Instructor and Coach at UFC Gym Ontario in Ontario, California.

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

** Fight of the Night ( One time) vs. Hector Ramirez ** Knockout of the Night ( One time) vs.

** UFC Encyclopedia Awards *** Knockout of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2005: Ranked #4 Knockout of the Year ***2008: Ranked #6 Knockout of the Year & Half-Year Awards: Best Knockout of the 1HY *

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

** WEC Heavyweight Championship (One time, first) ***One successful title defense *Rebel Fights **Rebel Fights Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Scott Rosa , TKO (knees and punches) , GC: Star Wars , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( , ; ) is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet, California, Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, Beaumont to its north. The mountains ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–9 (2) , Mike LaFlair , Submission (armbar) , GC: Ringside , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

Lincoln, California Lincoln is a city in Placer County, California, United States, part of the Sacramento, California, Sacramento metropolitan area. Located north of Roseville, California, Roseville in an area of rapid suburban development, it grew 282 percent b ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–9 (2) , Geovantie Davis , KO (punches) , GC: Bombs Away , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 (2) ,

, Submission (armbar) , KSW 15: Contemporary Gladiators , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland , , - , NC , align=center, 15–8 (2) , Mike Crisman , NC (illegal knee) , GC: Young Guns 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:32 ,

Elko, Nevada Elko is a city in and the county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. As of the official 2020 U.S. Census, the city has a population of 20,564. Elko serves as the center of the Ruby Valley, a region with a population of over 55,000. Elko ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 (1) , Jorge Oliveira , Submission (triangle armbar) , TPF 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:33 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7 (1) , Angel DeAnda , KO (punch) , Rebel Fights: Domination , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7 (1) , Igor Pokrajac , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 (1) ,

, TKO (punch) , UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:01 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:01 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:08 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 (1) , Luiz Cané , DQ (illegal knee) , UFC 79 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:51 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 (1) , Thiago Silva , TKO (knee injury) , UFC 71 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 (1) , Hector Ramirez , TKO (body kick and elbows) , UFC 65 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 (1) , Gary LaFranchi , Submission (armbar) , Valor Fighting: Showdown at Cache Creek II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 , Brooks, California, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 10–3 (1) , Bobby Southworth , NC (both fighters fell out the cage) , Strikeforce: Revenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , William Hill , Decision (unanimous) , IFC: Caged Combat , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Lodune Sincaid , Decision (split) , WEC 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Stephan Bonnar , Submission (kimura) , UFC Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Terry Martin , KO (flying knee) , UFC 54 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

Doug Marshall Douglas Garrett Marshall (born February 3, 1977) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2003 until 2014, Marshall has fought in Bellator, Tachi Palace Fights, the Super Fight League, and the Pa ...

, KO (knee) ,

WEC 15 WEC 15: Judgment Day was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on May 19, 2005, at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. The card featured the likes of Joe Riggs, Chris Lytle and James Irvin compet ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:45 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Mike Kyle , KO (punch) , UFC 51 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Houssain Oushani , KO (punch) , WEC 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jody Poff , TKO (punches) ,

WEC 11 WEC 11: Evolution was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 20, 2004 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. The main event saw Shonie Carter take on Jason Biswell. Results ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Bo Cantrell , KO (knee) , GC 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:39 ,

Hopland, California Hopland (formerly Sanel) is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located on the west bank of the Russian River, south-southeast of Ukiah, in the Sanel Valley, at an elevation of . The population wa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Scott Smith , KO (punch) , GC 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 ,

Colusa, California Colusa is a city in and the county seat of Colusa County, California, located in the Sacramento Valley region of the Central Valley. The population was 6,411 at the 2020 census, up from 5,971 at the 2010 census. Colusa originates from the l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Pete Werve , TKO (doctor stoppage) , GC 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Allen Scoville , Submission (armbar) , GC 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Bo Cantrell , KO (knee and punches) , GC 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Irvin, James 1978 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from California Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu World Extreme Cagefighting champions American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Sportspeople from Corona, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters People from Loomis, California