Luke Harris

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.