Mariusz Ryszard Linke (31 July 1969 – 30 May 2022) was a Polish professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and

grappler Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling is ...

Career

He was most notable for being the first Polish born black belt in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

, the highest ranking active Polish

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

and BJJ practitioner in both mixed martial arts and grappling, and one of the most decorated grapplers in Poland. He was also the first Polish grappler to travel to Brazil and receive training under a Gracie trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Linke notably competed in the European Championship,

NAGA Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

Grapplers Quest Grapplers Quest is an organization mainly concerned with the promotion of Grappling (submission wrestling) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. Founded in 1998 by Brian Cimins, Grapplers Quest hosts competitions of various division, age, and wei ...

, ADCC, and the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...

. Linke was in talks with top Polish promotion

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (English: ''Martial Arts Confrontation'') better known by its initials KSW, is widely considered to be the premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe. History Martin Lewandowsk ...

to negotiate a two-fight contract to close out his mixed martial arts career by the end of 2015, Linke stated despite retiring from fighting he would still continue his grappling career.

Death

On May 30, 2022 Linke died after contracting a

staphylococcal infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasio ...

earlier in the year, the bacterial infection later spread into his bloodstream and attached to his heart valves causing Linke to develop

infective endocarditis Infective endocarditis is an infection of the inner surface of the heart, usually the valves. Signs and symptoms may include fever, small areas of bleeding into the skin, heart murmur, feeling tired, and low red blood cell count. Complication ...

Grappling titles and accomplishments

*2017 Grapplers Quest Heavyweight Champion (Masters Gi) * 2016 European Championship - Bronze Medalist * 2015 Pan American No-Gi Championship - Gold Medalist * 2015 European Championship - Gold Medalist * 2014 European Championship - Gold Medalist * 2013 Pan American No-Gi Championship - Bronze Medalist * 2012 European Championship - Gold and Silver Medalist * 2012 NAGA Champion - Gold and Silver Medalist *2011 London Open Champion * 2011 Pan American No-Gi Championship Competitor *2010 Eastern European Champion (Judo) *2008 NAGA Tournament Competitor * 2007 European Championship - Bronze Medalist *2006 ADCC Polish Trials Champion * 2005 Pan American Games Competitor *2004 Polish Open Champion (Judo) * 2003 Pan American Games Competitor *2000 Eastern European Champion (Judo) * 2000 European Judo Championships Competitor *1999 Polish National Champion (Judo) * 1999 Bad Boy Cup Champion *3 time Grapplers Quest Competitor (2008, 2011, 2012)

Other information

Mariusz received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under former Strikeforce fighter, coach and fight promoter

Jorge Patino Jorge Luis Patino (born May 8, 1973) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1995, Patino has formerly competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, ...

, Linke also had two training stints with current

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

fighter

Cristiano Marcello Cristiano Marcello da Silva (born December 3, 1977) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist and former Chute Boxe BJJ head coach who formerly fought for the UFC. Cristiano competed in the Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 1998, 19 ...

during his stay in Brazil between 2001 and 2003 and again in 2005. Linke's nickname "Manolo" was taken from the movie

Scarface Scarface may refer to: Gangster-related * ''Scarface'' (novel), a novel by Armitage Trail, loosely based on Capone's rise to power. ** ''Scarface'' (1932 film), a film starring Paul Muni ** ''Scarface'' (1983 film), a remake starring Al Pacin ...

, his personal friends said that Linke was really laid back and looked and acted like the character Manolo Ribera, played by

Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban-born American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on ''¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1980) and is perhaps most ...

. Linke was part of the BJJ lineage that began with the creator

Mitsuyo Maeda ,Virgílio, pp. 22–25 a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda (),Virgílio, p. 9 was a Japanese ''judōka'' (judo practitioner) and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions, also being one of the first documented mixed martial artists of t ...

and was later passed on to one of the founding instructors of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil,

Carlos Gracie Carlos Gracie (September 14, 1902October 7, 1994) was a Brazilian martial artist who is credited with being one of the primary developers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Along with his younger brother Hélio Gracie and fellow students Luis França an ...

. Linke was one of very few BJJ practitioners to start at white belt and skip blue to purple, his instructors

and

mutually decided to skip Linke from white to purple in late 2002 due to his extensive Judo background, this skip in rank is a very rare occurrence and was the first person under Jorge Patino and first BJJ practitioner to join

Chute Boxe Academy The Chute Boxe Academy (, ''Kick-Boxing'') is a Brazilian martial arts academy. It opened as a Muay Thai academy in 1978 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. Head trainer Rudimar Fedrigo later expanded the program in 1991 to include other aspects of m ...

to do so. Linke was also known for his outlandish appearance, covered in numerous tattoos and coloring his nails and hair to distract other fighters. Maruisz produced the most black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Poland, as of 2017 he promoted 43 black belts in BJJ, 77 brown belts and over 200 purple belts. After winning his gold medal at the

Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship is a no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF). List of Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Champions in Adult Male Black Belt division, by Year and We ...

in 2015 Linke became the unofficial record breaking holder for most medals won in professional grappling and contact sports as a Polish competitor.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 11-5 , Dawid Potoczny , Submission (keylock) , Imperium Arena: Fijaka vs. Ostrowski , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 ,

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

, Poland , Middleweight debut , - , Loss , align=center, 10-5 , Marcin Grzeskowiak , TKO (shoulder injury) , IFC: Winner's Punch , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 10-4 , Gregor Gracie , Submission (rear naked choke) , BCFC: Gracie vs Linke , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, United States , Return to Welterweight , - , Win , align=center, 10-3 , Lukasz Baran , TKO (punches) , IFC - Tsunami Tournament 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

Debrzno Debrzno (historically: ''Frydląd Pomorski''; , ''Fréląd'', or ''Frëdląd''; formerly german: Preußisch Friedland) is a town in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 4,983. History The first men ...

, Poland , Fought at Lightweight , - , Win , align=center, 9-3 , Lukasz Baran , Submission (standing arm-triangle choke) , Bushido 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,

, Poland , Fought at Lightweight , - , Loss , align=center, 8-3 , Piotr Sulecki , TKO (corner stoppage) , Iron Fist , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 ,

, Poland , Catchweight bout (166 lbs) , - , Win , align=center, 8-2 , Tomasz Macior , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Warriors Extreme Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

Pila Pila may refer to: Architecture * Pila (architecture), a type of veranda in Sri Lankan farm houses Places *Pila, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina *Pila Partido, a country subdivision in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina * ...

, Poland , Lightweight debut , - , Win , align=center, 7-2 , Lukasz Ptaszynski , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Bushido 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:32 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 6-2 , Slawomir Zakrzewski , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Bushido 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 5-2 , Donat Ignatowicz , Submission (kimura) , Bushido 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 4-2 , Donat Ignatowicz , Submission (rear naked choke) , Bushido 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 ,

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-2 , Andrzej Kulik , KO (stomp and punches) , Berserkers Arena 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-1 , Rodrigo Durok Asmus , Submission (guillotine choke) , Brazil Super Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:35 , Alegre, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3-0 , Damian Grabowski , Submission (rear naked choke) , Berserkers Arena 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Dariusz Bres , Submission (keylock) , Polish All-Style Karate Organization - Japanese Gala , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

Siemiatycze Siemiatycze ( uk, Сім'ятичі ''Simiatychi'', be, Сямятычы ''Siamiatyčy'') is a town in eastern Poland, with 15,209 inhabitants (2004). It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Białystok Voi ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 , Slawomir Zakrzewski , Submission (triangle choke) , 13 International Boxing Tournament - Pomeranian Griffin Cup , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 24:00 ,

, Poland ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Linke, Mariusz 1969 births 2022 deaths Polish male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Polish male judoka World judo champions Brazilian jiu-jitsu trainers Polish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Szczecin Judoka trainers Polish people of German descent Polish Muay Thai practitioners People from Zielona Góra Sportspeople from Lubusz Voivodeship Polish expatriate sportspeople in Portugal