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

mixed martial artist 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, incorpo ...

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

Background

Irvin was born in

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 duri ...

and attended Del Oro High School in Loomis, California, where he played football. Irvin's football career continued at Azusa Pacific University, 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 ''UFC 54: Boiling Point'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 20, 2005, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later relea ...

against

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

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 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. Styles such as ...

that rendered Martin unconscious. Commentator

Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American UFC color commentator, podcaster, comedian, actor, and former television presenter. He hosts ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', a podcast in which he discusses current events, comedy, polit ...

called the KO the "best flying knee" he had ever seen. Irvin defeated Hector Ramirez at

UFC 65 ''UFC 65: Bad Intentions'' was a mixed martial arts competition held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 18, 2006 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California – the UFC’s first show at this venue. It was broadcast live on pay-p ...

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 Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional Association Football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea F.C., Chelsea and captains the Brazil national football team, Brazil national team. Con ...

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 professional mixed martial artist who last competed in 2017. A professional competitor since 2001, he has fought for the UFC, Bellator, Shark Fights, the RFA, and KSW. He currently comp ...

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. The 8-second knockout tied the record of fastest knockout in UFC history until UFC 102, where Todd Duffee broke the record with a 7-second KO. Irvin was supposed to fight

Rashad Evans Rashad Anton Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist. Evans started his professional career in 2003, he was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and is also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 2 ...

at '' UFC 85'' 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-American mixed martial artist and 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 an ...

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 agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroi ...

and oxymorphone. 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 UFC, Titan FC and Shooto. Background McFedries was born in Ames, Iowa and raised in Bettendorf, Iowa. His ...

, 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. 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 Igor Pokrajac (born 2 January 1979) is a Croatian mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, Pokrajac has also formerly competed for K ...

on August 1, 2010 at

UFC on Versus 2 ''UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko'' (also known as ''UFC on Versus 2'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, August 1, 2010, at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Background Th ...

. 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 serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

was complimentary of Irvin, saying he expects to see Irvin back in the UFC 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 US Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 141,500. Interstate 80 runs through Roseville and State Rout ...

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. 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 bare-knuckle boxing promoter and semi-retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kickboxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Cha ...

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.

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 UFC veterans Jorge Masvidal, Keith Jardin ...

was ultimately forced to cancel the scheduled Irvin vs Alexander II bout after Irvin tested positive for steroids, along with Alexander sustaining an injury during training. Irvin tested positive for epitrenbolone metabolite trenbolone. A steroid used for muscle growth in body builders and farm animals. 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, Mamied Magomedowicz Chalidow, mɐˈmʲɛt maɣɔmʲɛdɔvʲit͡ʂ xɐˈlʲidəf; pl, Mamed Chalidow ; born 17 July 1980 in Grozny) is a Polish mixed martial artist of Chech ...

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. 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) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

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

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) **Two successful title defenses *Rebel Fights **Rebel Fights Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–10 (2) , Scott Rosa , TKO (knees and punches) , GC: Star Wars , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 ,

San Jacinto, California San Jacinto ( ; ; Spanish for " St. Hyacinth") is a city in Riverside County, California. It is located at the north end of the San Jacinto Valley, with Hemet to its south and Beaumont, California, to its north. The mountains associated with ...

, 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 metropolitan area. Located in an area of rapid suburban development, it grew 282.1 percent between 2000 and 2010, making it the fastest-growing city over 10,00 ...

, 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 ,

Warszawa Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

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

, 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 Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–6 (1) , Alessio Sakara , TKO (punch) , UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:01 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populati ...

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

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

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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

, KO (punches) ,

UFC Fight Night 13 ''UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 13'') was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 2, 2008, at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado, Unite ...

, , 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) ,

, 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) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 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 San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, 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 Lodune Ki Sincaid (May 7, 1973 – April 7, 2019) was an American professional mixed martial artist. He was WEC Light Heavyweight Champion in 2006, and was featured on the UFC's ''The Ultimate Fighter 1'' reality show, losing to Bobby Southwo ...

, Decision (split) , WEC 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore, California, 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 (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Terry Martin , KO (flying knee) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Doug Marshall , KO (knee) ,

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

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:45 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Mike Kyle , KO (punch) ,

UFC 51 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 Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MM ...

, , 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 , Lemoore, California, 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 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Bo Cantrell , KO (knee) , GC 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:39 , Hopland, California, 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 and county seat of Colusa County, California, located in the Sacramento Valley region of the Central Valley. The population was 5,971 at the 2010 census, up from 5,402 at the 2000 census. Colusi originates from the local Coru N ...

, 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