Luke Harris
Pro MMA Record 10-2
@UltimateFighter #TUFNations @Sportsnet 360
Harris began training in judo at the age of
eight, steadily
moving up the ranks and earning his black belt in his late teens. He
competed on the Canadian national team but he made the decision to put
competition on the back burner to concentrate on earning a university
degree.
After completing a technologist degree in landscape architecture in
Edmonton, Harris transferred to Guelph University to complete an
undergraduate degree. Continuing his education at Penn State where he
went on to earn his masters degree, Harris began to feel the itch to
compete again.
A few weeks after finishing at Penn State,
Harris made the trek to Tokyo, Japan to learn from the top judo masters
in the birthplace of the sport he had trained in for the better part of
the past two decades. Studying at the Kodokan, Harris spent three
months at the judo Mecca strengthening his skills. While he was there he
decided that would see how far his training could take him.
Upon his return to Canada, he moved to Montreal to join members of
the Canadian national judo team. Wanting to continue his evolution as a
judoka, he decided to begin training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Gelinas
Academy of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) under Brazilian Top Team Canada
instructor Fabio Holanda. At the time, the Brazilian was training
several up-and-coming MMA fighters including future UFC standouts
Georges St-Pierre and Patrick Cote.
While on a trip to Brazil for an international judo competition,
Harris decided that an extended stay in the South American country to
train at the BTT academy might help his ground game. He says the
experience not only helped his level of jiu-jitsu, it also pushed him
one step closer to beginning a career in MMA.
Harris worked diligently to improve his stand-up game and wrestling and parlayed his growing skill-set into a four-fight win streak that garnered him the King of the Cage Canada middleweight title in only his fourth professional fight.
In January of 2009 Harris opened the Hayabusa Training Centre Ltd. in St. Albert, Alberta just outside Edmonton. Teaching several classes per week at the gym while maintaining his own twice-daily training regimen, Harris says that balance is the key to his continued success.
As far as his MMA career is concerned, Harris’ goal is to compete & win at the highest level.
