result of complications from heart surgery. His death sent shock waves through both MMA and wrestling, and resulted in massive outpouring from fans and media in remembrance of Blatnick's life. At the time of his death, Blatnick was a varsity wrestling coach at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, and also worked as a motivational speaker. He lived with his wife Lori, son Ian, and daughter Niki in Clifton Park, New York. Frank Shamrock called Blatnick "one of the original soldiers of MMA"; longtime UFC referee John McCarthy said, "Jeff deserves so much credit for helping establish MMA. He gave his credibility to our sport we all owe him a debt of gratitude." MMA fighter and SiriusXM radio host R. J. Clifford wrote, "Jeff Blatnick was so genuine. Seconds after becoming the first US greco medalist, he spent his interview thanking others. Most importantly, (he was) a great human being. Secondly, (he was) one of the best guys to help fix MMA judging...What a loss to both wrestling and MMA." A municipal park in Niskayuna, New York, is named after Blatnick. Blatnick Park contains several baseball and softball fields, an 18 hole disc golf course, a pavilion and picnic area, and a small section of the Mohawk Hudson Hike/Bike Trail. References External links Jeff Blatnick at United World Wrestling Database Blatnick's bio at Hickok Sports National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum entry BloodyElbow.com ZimBio.com Town of Niskayuna, NY: Blatnick Park 1957 births 2012 deaths American motivational speakers Sportspeople from Schenectady, New York Wrestlers at the 1984 Summer Olympics American male sport wrestlers Mixed martial arts broadcasters American people of Slovenian descent Springfield College (Massachusetts) alumni Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling