By BJJ Heroes on January 15th, 2012

Jim Harbison (Lloyd Irvin)

James Harbison and Lloyd Irvin

James Harbison (often called “Jim” or “Jimmy” Harbison) is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Master Lloyd Irvin who gained notoriety in the grappling circuit after he won the 3 major tournaments in the IBJJF circuit in the brown belt division (European Open, Pan American & Mundial). Since achieving such an impressive landmark, Harbison has been awarded his black belt and is an avid presence in the main Jiu Jitsu tournaments.

Jimmy Harbison in Detail

Full Name: James Harbison

Nickname: James Harbison is called Jimmy and Jim Harbison, all ways of saying James, he is also often mentioned as “Jah” which BJJ Heroes assumes is a mix of James and Harbison (unconfirmed).

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Jorge Pereira > Leo Dalla > Lloyd Irvin > James Harbison

Main Achievements:

World Champion (2011 brown)
Pan American Champion (2011 brown)
European Open Champion (2011 brown)
World Pro Cup Trials Champion – Montreal (2011)
World Pro Cup Nogi Silver Medallist (2011)
NY Open Silver Medallist (2010 weight & absolute)
Pan American Bronze Medallist (2010 brown)

Favourite Position/Technique: Triangle

Weight Division: Peso Medio (82kg/181lbs)

Team/Association: Lloyd Irvin M.A Academy

James Harbison Biography

James Harbison was born in 1991, he began training wrestling early through his school program, but as he reached high school he changed to a catholic school that did not offer wrestling. As an alternative, James’ father proposed he should start practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and so half way through his freshman year he joined a BJJ academy.

He became addicted to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and started training every chance he had. In the end of 2009, Harbison decided to move to Lloyd Irvin’s team where he would have better training partners and a more professional atmosphere. Upon taking this big step in his life, he decided to go “underground” cutting all the distractions of his life (including his facebook account) in order to stay focussed on his ultimate goal of becoming a world Jiu Jitsu champion. His hard work paid off in 2011 as he won every major tournament in the brown belt middleweight division, also showing an excellent presence in tournaments such as the ADCC and the World Pro Cup that same year. He received his black belt from Lloyd Irvin on June 2011, shortly after his Mundial win.

Jimmy Harbison vs Marcelo Sousa