James started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 1999. He fell in love with the sport immediately and trains as much as possible. James is currently a 4 stripe purple belt under Carlos Machado and has a 1-0 record in Mixed Martial Arts.

During his training James has had the opportunity to work with some of the best fighters and Jiu-Jitsu players in the world. Some of the players include Helio "Soneca" Moreira, Casey Oxendine, Jay White, Renzo Gracie, and Carlos Machado.

For the past 5 years James was the instructor of a very successful Team in Upstate New York. As a result of hard work and dedication, James and his team won multiple NAGA/Grapplers Quest championships and was proud to boast a winning MMA record. Under James' instruction his team finished in the top 3 schools at numerous competitions only behind Team Renzo Gracie and Team Lloyd Irving.

In late 2007 James was invited by Mr. Ray Thompson to come to South Carolina and join him in starting a Mixed Martial Arts System and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program at Upstate Karate. Now James is proud to be the head instructor of Team Pitch Black MMA/BJJ.

James' goal is to develop a program that promotes a healthy lifestyle and a strong team spirit. His MMA/BJJ program accomodates anyone interested in training to get in shape and learn self defense, as well as those interested in taking their training to the competitive level.