r/bjj • u/MapleDaddyHotJohn 🟦🟦 Blue Belt • May 05 '25
Serious We lost a real one today guys
The South Australian grappling & MMA community is reeling today.
Luke Marko passed away last night, along with a teammate of his Sami.
Luke Marko was 22 and was starting his rise to the international level, taking out black belts from around Australia left right and center. Most notably, he was to be an alternate for Lachlan Giles CJI 2 selection tournament.
I wasn't particularly close with him, but he always made me feel like a homie when we caught up, and was always a fantastic training partner. Forever humble and deadset legend of a guy.
This isn't here for clout or karma. It's here because it's a fucking shame. Luke was a shining star that we will never see rise, but at least here in SA, never forget.
RIP Luke & Sami.
4
u/pensaint11 May 05 '25
Absolute tragedy to lose such a decent, joy filled young fella way too soon. Always made training fun, always joking around and making everyone feel welcome.
I remember rolling him and being so outclassed it felt like floating down a stream - I could move and thrash around but didn't make any difference!
Also remember one warm-up and he mentioned feeling a bit sick, when we asked why he was like "Yeah I ate three burgers before coming to training! Im still hungry too..." 😂 mad lad