Mark Staniszewski

Staniszewski was born August 19, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York to parents Thaddeus and Joan Staniszewski. He moved at an early age to East Meadow on Long Island, where he was raised alongside his siblings Michael and Jan. Staniszewski was first introduced into the martial arts at the age of 5, studying various styles of karate; and Tae Kwon Do under 1988 Olympic coach Yeon Hee Park. Staniszewski began his grappling career wrestling in Junior High School, going undefeated while in middle school. An All-County wrestler at East Meadow High School, Staniszewski was named co-team captain by Hall of Fame Coach John Hamilton. In addition to wrestling, Staniszewski played varsity football and track and field for the East Meadow High School Jets. Staniszewski went on to wrestle at Cortland State under Olympic alternate Gene Neiman, earning a starting position as a freshman on the dual-meet national team. Staniszewski's wrestling career was cut short due to two separate season ending knee injuries sustained during matches. After surgeries and rehabilitation, Staniszewski returned to competitive sports by securing a starting position as "left prop" for an all-English rugby team while studying abroad at the University of North London, England. There, he was introduced to the sport of judo by one of his teammates. He graduated with a degree in Sociology as a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta national honor society. After college, Staniszewski continued practicing judo and in 1996, he began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the garage of childhood friend and former UFC champion Matt Serra. Finding them to be the perfect complement, Staniszewski trained and competed in both disciplines for over two decades. His innovative and unique grappling style has earned him international accolades in Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Submission Grappling and Wrestling. He is widely regarded as one of the most experienced grapplers in America.[4][5][6]

Tragedy struck in February 2013, when Staniszewski's 14 month old son Jake was diagnosed with a rare pediatric cancer (Stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma). The martial arts community rallied around the Staniszewski family to lend their support. A series of seminars and events were held by elite athletes 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, Danis Dillon and many more to support their friend and colleague. Celebrities, radio and television personalities like Glenn Beck, Tara Setmayer, John Theissen,Teddy Atlas and Jenny McCarthy also lended their support. The Staniszewski's fight for Jake took them from the United States to Germany and beyond in search of a novel and experimental treatment plan. During this plight, Staniszewski received news of his younger brother Michael's unexpected death due to a sudden illness. Less than nine months after his brother's death, Staniszewski's son Jake (age 2), died of cancer.,[7] Jake's Story

Staniszewski returned to competition in 2015, entering the Police and Fire World Championships. With over 12,000 athletes from 70 different countries, Staniszewski earned silver medals in both Judo and Submission Grappling. Later that year, Staniszewski suffered a life-threatening heart attack while teaching classes that would seemingly end his martial arts career; but in 2017, Staniszewski entered the Police and Fire World Games once again, earning a silver medal in judo and the Championship title in Submission Grappling. [1][2][8][9]

• Rank: Black Belt (4th degree) under USJF, Kodokan, USA Judo and IJF. .[10][11][12][13]

• Rank: Black Belt (3rd Degree) under 8th Degree Coral Belt Joe Moreira and 9th Degree Red Belt Grandmaster Francisco Mansor.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

• International medalist in Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Submission Grappling and Wrestling.
• Formally ranked on USA Judo's elite top ten point list.
• Martial Arts Hall of Fame (Most Outstanding Competitor).
• First athlete to win Pan American Championships in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[23][24][25][26]
• Captain of Team USA at the 2009 World Judo Masters Championships. Led the US to a bronze medal (tied with Russia).[27]
• The only athlete to medal in both the Elite and Masters divisions at the 2009 USA Judo Nationals and World Team Trials.
• Gold medalist in both the Elite and Masters divisions at the 2009 East Coast Championships.[28]
• USA Judo's Most Outstanding Masters Athlete for 2010.
• Most notable technique: sode guruma jime (Ezekiel choke).
• On Oct. 2, 2009, Staniszewski competed in a charity main event against undefeated 300 lb (140 kg) fighter Steve Quinn.[29] Staniszewski won by submission[30] 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.[31]