Lloyd Irvin Jr. is a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

(MMA) and

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

black belt practitioner and coach. The founder of Team Lloyd Irvin, the first non-Brazilian team to take a world team title, he is the head coach to several champion grapplers.

Biography

Lloyd Emory Irvin, Jr. was born May 17, 1969, training from a young age in boxing and wrestling in 1983. After watching Royce Gracie UFC fights, Irvin started training

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

at a gym in Rockville, Maryland under Mario Yamasaki and

Leo Dalla Leonardo Dalla (born 1974) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt competitor and instructor. He was medalist in several major Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitions, such as the World Championship, Pan American Championship gi and no-gi, and Brazilian N ...

. Receiving his blue belt after a month Irvin continued training and opened his own academy using aggressive advertising campaigns. Irvin became the head coach of the eponymous Team Lloyd Irvin, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and

organization operating in the Mid-Atlantic States of the U.S. A number of prominent

grapplers Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling is ...

and

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

fighters have attended his academy at one time, such as Mike Fowler, JT Torres, and Ryan Hall. Irvin's team grew to be one of the best, earning medals in some of the most prestigious Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships. In 2008, Lloyd Irvin, his family, and former student

Brandon Vera Brandon Michael Vera (born October 10, 1977), or also known by his ring name as The Truth, is a Filipino-American (of Italian heritage) retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavywe ...

were the victims of a

home invasion A home invasion, also called a hot prowl burglary, is a sub-type of burglary (or in some jurisdictions, a separately defined crime) in which an offender unlawfully enters into a building residence while the occupants are inside. The overarching i ...

robbery. Reportedly, Irvin was able to disarm one of the robbers and send both men fleeing the residence shortly thereafter. There were no reports of injuries. In 2008 and 2012 Irvin won the Master 2 World No-Gi Championship Super Heavy.

Controversy

In January 2013, two of Lloyd Irvin's students (Nicholas Schultz and Matthew Maldonado) were arrested and charged for the violent rape of a female teammate on New Years Eve. Irvin came under scrutiny after it was revealed that he had been involved in a 1989 gang rape case, for which he was found not guilty. In the wake of the controversy and after reports of abuse, including allegations of sexual misconduct, came up from former students of Irvin most of the team's senior competitors, including

Keenan Cornelius Keenan Kai-James Cornelius is an American martial artist. His competitive achievements include what has been called a "grand slam" in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having won double ...

, JT Torres, Marcos Yemaso and Jordon Shultz left the team. A December 2013 article on the controversy in the ''

Miami New Times The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami area and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Overview It was acquired by Village Voi ...

'', including accounts from former Irvin associates and students, claimed that students were training in a cult like environment. In March 2013 Irvin disbanded his affiliate program, citing the "lynch mob" mentality of his attackers.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align="center" , 1–0 , Arthur Gant , Submission (heel hook) , USVTO – US Vale Tudo Open 1996 , , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 1:48 ,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irvin, Lloyd Living people American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1969 births