Draft:James Boran

  • Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Surfinsi (talk) 07:00, 4 July 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Surfinsi (talk) 07:00, 4 July 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Surfinsi (talk) 07:00, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

  • Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Surfinsi (talk) 07:00, 4 July 2025 (UTC)

James Richard Boran
Born1956 or 1957 (age 68–69)[1]
New York
Nickname"Jim", "Jimmy"[2]
NationalityAmerican
DivisionSuper Heavyweight[2]
StyleBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu
TeamTeam Avalanche[3]
TeachersRorion Gracie, Royler Gracie, Royce Gracie, Rickson Gracie, Joe Moreira
Rank
  •      Taekwondo black belt
  •      6th deg. BJJ black belt
Years active1987-present
Other information
UniversityColumbia University
Websitehttp://www.boranjj.com/index.htm

James Richard Boran (born 1956 or 1957) is an American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) practitioner with a sixth degree black belt in BJJ. He played football on a scholarship to Columbia University and was signed to the New York Jets as a free agent in 1979. Boran moved to California in 1983 and began studying BJJ in April 1991. He received his BJJ black belt on June 23, 1997 and opened Boran's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in March 2000. Boran is one of the first 12 grapplers outside of Brazil to earn a black belt in BJJ.

Early life and education

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Boran was born in New York and grew up there with his parents, three brothers, and sister.[4] He played football in high school as a lineman, and earned a scholarship to Columbia University.[5] He played linebacker at Columbia and was plagued by injuries throughout his freshman and sophomore years. He was signed by the New York Jets as a free agent in 1979.[2][6]

Martial arts

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Boran began studying martial arts in college, earning a black belt in Taekwondo.[4][7] He moved to California in 1983 and studied Hapkido for four years.[2]

Boran began studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age 34[8] under the Gracie family after a student of theirs beat him in a sparring match, even though he outweighed the student by 70 pounds.[2][1] He studied under Rorion, Royler, Royce, and Rickson Gracie, receiving his blue belt and purple belt from them. In the early 1990s, Boran switched training camps and began studying under Joe Moreira, receiving his black belt from Moreira on June 23, 1997.[2][1] The next day, he represented the Joe Moreira Jiu-Jitsu school at the fifth annual Jiu-jitsu de Brasil International Championship in Irvine, California. At the tournament, Boran had a match with Jean Jacques Machado and lost via submission.[1] In 1998 he was considered one of the top American BJJ practitioners, having won several national tournaments.[8] In March 2000, he opened his own gym, Boran's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, in Costa Mesa, California.[3]

Boran is a sixth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[4] He is a member of the Dirty Dozen, a group of the first 12 grapplers outside of Brazil to earn a black belt in BJJ.[2][6]

Personal life

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Boran lives in Newport Beach, California.[8]

Instructor lineage

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Mitsuyo MaedaCarlos GracieHélio Gracie → Francisco Mansor → Joe Moreira → James Boran[2]

Championships

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Sources:[2][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Thornbury, Jason (1997-06-23). "Lessons come fast for new black belt". The Orange County Register. pp. Sports 14. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "James Boran". BJJHeroes. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2025-05-16. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  3. ^ a b Boran, James. "Boranjj - Home". www.boranjj.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  4. ^ a b c d Boran, James. "Biography". Boran Jiu-Jitsu. Archived from the original on 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  5. ^ "The BJJ Dirty Dozen: Who Were The American Jiu-Jitsu Pioneers?". BJJWORLD. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  6. ^ a b Rogers, Kian (2024-01-23). "Who Are The BJJ Dirty Dozen?". Jits Magazine. Archived from the original on 2025-01-17. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  7. ^ "BJJ DIRTY DOZEN". BJJFANATICS. 7 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2025-07-04. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  8. ^ a b c Hammond, Rich (1998-09-14). "For Boran, better late than never - MARTIAL ARTS: At 41, the Newport Beach resident has developed into a black- belt champion in jiu-jitsu". The Orange County Register. pp. C11.