Mark Staniszewski

Mark Staniszewski; also known as Mark Stan (born August 1973) is an American born martial artist and the first athlete to win Pan American Championships in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo;^[1] and a Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee.^[2]

Biography

Staniszewski was introduced into the martial arts at the age of 5, studying various styles of karate, and Tae Kwon Do under 1988 Olympic coach Y.H. Park. An East Meadow High School wrestling team captain under Hall of Famer John Hamilton, Staniszewski went on to wrestle for Cortland State under Olympic alternate Gene Neiman. While in college he discovered the Olympic sport of judo. In 1996, Staniszewski was introduced to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by childhood friend UFC veteran Matt Serra. Finding them to be a perfect complement to each other, Staniszewski studied and competed in both disciplines for over two decades. His unique and successful style has been influenced by legendary martial artists and friends: Tom Dalvano, John Lucas (World Masters Judo Champion), UFC veteran Matt Serra, legendary 8th degree coral belt Joe Moreira and 9th degree red belt Grandmaster Francisco Mansor (direct student of Helio Gracie). Staniszewski has earned State,^[3] National, Pan American and World Championships.^[4][5]

Personal Life

In February 2013, tragedy struck when Staniszewski's 14 month old son Jake was diagnosed with stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and highly aggressive pediatric cancer. Later that year, Staniszewski suddenly and unexpectedly lost his younger brother Michael to causes unknown. In October 2013, Mark Staniszewski officially announced his retirement from competition and the sale of his martial arts academy Team Combat Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, in which he founded in 2007 in Massapequa, New York.

A whose-who of judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling practitioners came out in support of the Staniszewski family. A series of seminars and events were conducted to help offset mounting medical expenses of a novel treatment plan that took the Staniszewski's fight for their son Jake from the United States to Germany. Elite athletes by the likes of: Joe D"Arce, Alex and Christopher Vamos, Matt Serra, Eddie "The Truck" Gordan, Steven Sciandra, Joe Scarola, Nick Kossor, Tony Sangimino, Brad Bolen, Hannah Martin, Mansher Khera and many more came out to support their friend and colleague.

Sadly, on August 4, 2014, Jake Staniszewski (age 2), lost his battle with cancer.

In January 2015, Mark Staniszewski returned to his passion of martial arts and founded "Team Believe" (Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) in the memory of his son Jake. Team Believe training centers offer "Jake's Promise", which is program that offers free classes to any child with cancer and any parents or siblings of a child with cancer.

Judo

• Rank: Yodan (Black Belt 4th degree) under USJF, Kodokan, USA Judo and IJF. .^[6][7][8][9]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

• Rank: Black Belt (2nd Degree) under 8th Degree Coral Belt Joe Moreira and 9th Degree Red Belt Grandmaster Francisco Mansor. (IBJJF, USBJJF, USFBJJ) ^{[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]}

Notable Accomplishments

• First athlete to win Pan American Championships in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.^{[19][20][21][22]}
• Captain of Team USA at the 2009 World Judo Masters Championships. Led the US to a bronze medal (tied with Russia).^[23]
• The only US athlete to medal in both the Elite and Masters divisions at the 2009 USA Judo Nationals and World Team Trials.
• Won both the Elite and Masters divisions at the 2009 East Coast Championships.^[24]
• USA Judo's Most Outstanding Masters Athlete for 2010.
• Most notable technique: sode guruma jime (Ezekiel choke). In 2009, Staniszewski used an ezekiel to defeat Jim Hannan in the finals of the Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships; he defeated then undefeated submission grappler Steve Quinn in a charity Heavyweight Championship bout at Fight Club #4; and he defeated Nicholas Gohn by Ezekiel to advance to the medal round at the 2009 USA Judo National Championships and World Team Trials. In 2012, he defeated USA Judo's Ethan Stanley by sode guruma jime at the International Starrett Cup .
• On Oct. 2, 2009, Staniszewski competed in a charity main event against undefeated 300 lb (140 kg) fighter Steve Quinn.^[25] Staniszewski won by submission^[26] and raised thousands of dollars for martial arts based charities including: The Blind Judo Foundation, Rusty Kanokogi Memorial Fund, Jeff R. Lorio Memorial Scholarship Fund.^[27]

Career highlights

References