Marcus Kowal

Huge thank you to for taking Nico, Luna, and Milo out for Shop With a Cop this Christmas. Moments like these mean more than gifts — they build trust, memories, and community.

We are always thankful for the relationship we have with HPD, who have consistently shown up for our family and our community when it matters most.

Nico and Luna each chose one toy to give away, passing the kindness forward. That’s the lesson — service, gratitude, and giving back.

Thank you, HPD, for leading with heart. 💙🎄

Special thank you to for hosting the event!

711 empty chairs for . It is always hard but to have ’s chair made it extra hard.

Thank you for the work you do. Thank you and .

Happy birthday ! I could write a lot of things but I choose to write what our children said about you yesterday when I asked them what they feel make you special and here is what they said:
She’s brave.
She’s kind.
She’s smart.
She’s fair.
She’s hard-working.
She’s caring.
She’s determined.

And I fully agree.

Ps. This might seem to be a day late but it’s not, it’s just the time difference between Sweden & the US.

Pps. The last picture is just a reminder to sleep. 😘

🎈🎊🎉🎂

🥋 From the cage to Congress — and everything in between.

Honored to share my story with : “Inside Marcus Kowal’s fight to change America’s drunk-driving laws.”

I lost my son, Liam, to a drunk driver. That pain became my purpose — to make sure no other parent have to go through that pain. Through , we’re fighting to lower the BAC limit to 0.05 and save lives across the country.

This isn’t just my fight — it’s our fight.

🔗 Read the full story: [link in stories]

🐸 Let’s make change together.

Thank you .hockensmith 🙏🏽🐸💚
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Tomorrow, my brother is running 100 miles to raise money and awareness for our non-profit .

100 miles, 160 km. Let that sink in.

To say I’m impressed would be an understatement. What he’s doing takes a kind of discipline, grit, and heart that few people ever tap into. I’m beyond proud, deeply grateful, and truly inspired by his commitment — not just to the challenge itself, but to the cause and the lives we’re trying to impact through it.

Thank you, Thomas, for leading by example, for pushing the limits of what’s possible, and for reminding us all what it means to give everything you’ve got for something bigger than yourself 💚🐸

If you want to support or follow his journey, every bit of encouragement helps.

Good skills to these 2 savages, & who are running this weekend. 240 miles through the Mojave desert and Death Valley, the hottest spot on earth.

I didn’t use to like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. On Saturday, I got my BJJ Black belt.

When I started BJJ, I honestly didn’t enjoy it much but because it was an integral part of which I was transitioning into from striking, so I had to learn it. But getting smashed, choked, and armbarred by people wasn’t exactly my idea of fun. It took me a couple of years just to start liking it.

But even then, I did mostly no-gi, with the purpose of developing my grappling for MMA specifically. However, as time passed, I started to fall in love with BJJ more and more. BJJ with the gi is truly human chess, which I love. And for self defense, which I teach a lot, the uniform is essential.

This journey has been full of sweat, frustration, bruises in places I didn’t know could bruise — and some of the best moments of my life.

To all amazing training partners, coaches, and friends who’ve smashed me into the ground, encouraged me, and helped me grow — I’m forever grateful.

It’s been a long journey, from the very first first session with

Raymond Ayala who was a team mate for a long time took me to , which has recommended to go there too and who said “One day, you’ll fall in love with BJJ”.

To , and .venice , who gave me my blue and purple belt and who truly made me find my love for , our days together will forever be something that was very special to me.
A special thank you to , who started the BJJ program at ; and his attention to detail; , I wish you could be here for this; , who has been along for the ride (and part of the reason I can defend a darce 😅; and the Encino squad; , who introduced us to Checkmat; for all the great details; and ; and , for the passion and knowledge you’re pouring into our students!

Lastly, thank you for truly making me fall in love with BJJ and for your passion & love for the art, which is contagious. I’m very grateful to have received both my brown & black belt from you.

On Saturday, we said goodbye to Joseph “Joe Hollywood” McQuirter — a man whose energy could light up any room. Joe was the kind of person who made everyone feel seen, who brought joy, laughter, and heart wherever he went.

He was a loyal friend, a loving family man, and someone who lived life with passion and purpose.
He was tough, he had a few kickboxing and boxing fights; He was a great coach with ; He was kind and helped support but most of all, he cared.

His smile, his humor, and his spirit will stay with us forever.

Rest easy, Joe. You’ll always be remembered and always be loved.

The Masters BJJ World Championships didn’t go as planned for me — I wasn’t able to compete due to a nasty staph infection. It was very, very disappointing to say the least, since it’s been on the radar for the past 8 months.

But even though I couldn’t step on the mats to compete, I want to take a moment to give thanks 🙏 Huge thank you to and for opening their doors and making me feel so welcome. A special shoutout to for generously sharing his knowledge and experience—it’s always inspiring to learn from someone with such depth. And of course, thank you to for creating the opportunity and opening the doors to MMA Centre. Grateful to be part of this community! 💪🥋

On this day, nine long years ago, that at the same time feels like a few hours ago, my world came to an end. The day we lost Liam. Every parent’s worst nightmare became reality.
The pain of losing a child never goes away, you just learn to live with it.
Liam’s short life still makes an impact. He changed me. He changed us. And through Liam’s Life Foundation, he continues to change lives.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you 🐸💚