Saturday, June 4th marked a tragic event in the mixed martial arts world.
During a BJJ competition held in Poznan, a city nestled on the Warta river of west-central Poland, Marek Jakubowicz collapsed. Jakubowicz was later pronounced dead.
This tragedy is the first occurrence of its kind in in the history of Poland’s illustrious grappling competitions. It goes without saying that this is also a significant blow to Poland’s emerging BJJ community.
Jakubowicz collapsed at the same venue in Lublon–an adjacent city to Poznan–at the IBJJF Open. The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear, as Jakubowicz collapsed a significant amount of time after the completion of his match while he was waiting for his medal. A rescue team unsuccessfully attempted to revive him.
News from bjjfanatics‘ recent funeral drew more than 200 people, including close friends and family who attended to pay their respects. He was also posthumously promoted to black belt.
Alliance BJJ Poland and other local clubs were also present.
