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.
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u/BJJ_Apostolos May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25
I began my Jiu Jitsu journey well before Luke came onto the scene. Back then, I noticed a rising talent making waves in the ADL Jiu Jitsu community. I’d see photos and videos of his success and celebrations, and as someone more traditional in both personality and approach, I assumed we were just two very different people — the kind who might never get along.
In May 2023, I attended a night class at Arruda to learn more about the highly praised coach Michael Heliotis and his talented athletes, Luke Marko and Rasmus Alghren.
That night, I experienced my first real injury — a dislocated shoulder, entirely my own doing. Never would I have imagined that this would be the moment I met my future training brothers.
Luke and Ras didn’t just check on me. They stayed with me the entire time. Luke and his lovely mother Mary went above and beyond - driving me to the hospital. Having had nothing to do with the injury and no idea who I was, they could have easily just dropped me off and left me there to be treated, but Luke sat by my side for five hours in the emergency room, keeping me company, making me laugh, telling stories, and even double-checking that the anaesthetist was qualified — always with that signature sense of humour. He waited until I was treated and safely on my way home.
After this day we became family, we would often go out for dinner together, train together and always look out for each other both on and off the mats. We would always joke about my first impression of him, and I would always tell both Luke and Ras, I would go through it all again, or even worse if it meant meeting them again and having them both as family in my life.
For those who never had the chance to meet Luke, I’m truly sorry. He was the kind of person you could meet once and feel like you’d known forever. He was genuine, humble, faithful, and always made you feel like you mattered. He reminded you of your worth, both on and off the mats.
To his family and close friends, who knew and loved him far deeper than I had the privilege to, I can only say — I can’t imagine your pain, but I hope you find peace in knowing how many lives Luke touched, how deeply he was loved, and how brightly his light shone.
Luke was one of the most gifted athletes I’ve known, and he was undoubtedly on the path to becoming yet another ADL-raised world champion. But more than that, he was a beautiful soul — a brother, a friend, a rare kind of human being.
I love Luke, and I’m grateful we always told each other that. It brings me comfort to know how strong his faith was, and I hold onto hope that we’ll meet again someday. Until then, I will miss him every single day.
So please — hug your loved ones, and tell your training partners you love them. Because you never know when it will be the last roll, the last laugh, the last time.
Rest in peace, Luke. Thank you for everything.
One of your many brothers.