Lloyd Irvin Jr. is a mixed martial arts (MMA) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt practitioner and coach.[a] 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.[2][3]
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 at a gym in Rockville, Maryland under Mario Yamasaki and Leo Dalla. Receiving his blue belt after a month Irvin continued training and opened his own academy using aggressive advertising campaigns.[2] In 2008 and 2012 Irvin won the Master 2 World No-Gi Championship Super Heavy.[2] In 2008, Lloyd Irvin, his family, and former student Brandon Vera were the victims of a home invasion 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.[4][5]
Team Lloyd Irvin
Irvin became the head coach of the eponymous Team Lloyd Irvin, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts organization operating in the Mid-Atlantic States of the U.S.[6][7][8] A number of prominent grapplers and MMA fighters have attended his academy at one time, such as Mike Fowler, JT Torres, and Ryan Hall.[9] Irvin's team grew to be one of the best, earning medals in some of the most prestigious Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships.[2]
Sexual misconduct allegations
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.[10][11][12] Irvin came under scrutiny after it was revealed that he had been involved in a 1989 gang rape case, for which he was acquitted while his fellow defendants were all convicted.[1][2][13] In the wake of the controversy and after reports of abuse, including allegations of sexual misconduct, came up from former students of Irvin.[14][15][16] As a result, most of the team's senior competitors, including Keenan Cornelius, JT Torres, Marcos Yemaso and Jordon Shultz left the team.[17][18] A December 2013 article on the controversy in the Miami New Times, including accounts from former Irvin associates and students, claimed that students were training in a cult like environment.[19] In March 2013 Irvin disbanded his affiliate program, citing the "lynch mob" mentality of his attackers.[20][21]
^"Holly Morris – UFC Fighters". FOX 5 News. Retrieved February 20, 2013. FOX 5's Holly Morris visited Team Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts and Fitness in Arlington, Virginia where they train athletes of any skill level...including professional UFC fighters!
^"Lloyd Irvin". BJJ Heroes. June 14, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
