Cory Walker

Cory “Skywalker” Walker is an American grappler and a jiu-jitsu black belt under Lloyd Irvin who worked extensively under the guidance of Donnie Achnick. Walker first made waves in the sport at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championships back in 2013, when he won the event as a blue belt, a gold medal he repeated in 2022 in the brown belt division while working a full-time job. Cory’s good form in the colored belt divisions continued as Walker advanced into the black belt level.

Cory Walker Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Cory Walker

Nickname: “Skywalker” is a name often associated with Cory, which was started by his TLI youth teammate Steven Brown when Walker was in his early teens. The nickname is a play on Cory’s family name and his love for Star Wars movies.

Lineage:  Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > J. Pereira > Leo Dalla > Lloyd Irvin > Cory Walker

Main Achievements:

• 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2013 blue, 2022 brown)
• 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship (2012 blue, 2017 purple)
• 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2019 purple)

Favorite Position/Technique: Open Guard

Weight Division: Peso Galo (57,50 kg / 127.0 lbs)

Team/Association: Team Lloyd Irvin

Cory Walker Biography

Cory Walker was born on June 29, 1993, in the United States capital, Washington, D.C., and was raised in nearby Prince George’s County, a county located in the state of Maryland.

Influenced by his family, and particularly by Uncle Lavelle who was an active taekwondo competitor and big martial arts fan, Walker became fascinated by Bruce Lee films and other epic combat sports movies. The interest in these remained purely based on the entertainment side of things until Walker joined one of Team Lloyd Irvin’s Summer Camps back in 2002 where he experienced jiu-jitsu for the first time.

His love for jiu-jitsu grew quickly and soon Cory became one of TLI’s top youth students under the guidance of Master Donnie (Donald Achnick), Lloyd Irvin himself, and the moral support of Lavelle.

Walker’s career took off as a blue belt when he became an IBJJF World Champion in the adult division. Despite his excellent performances on the mat, Cory remained focussed on his academic career, going through community college and later taking a degree in IT and Sociology. His dedication to higher education, and later to his job for the US treasury department never allowed for the young Maryland resident to focus entirely on his grappling career.

Despite working in a demanding full-time job, Cory Walker won one of the toughest tournaments in the jiu-jitsu world, the IBJJF World Championships, as a brown belt in 2022. This impressive performance led to Walker’s black belt promotion shortly after the tournament.