For a handful of reasons, history vowed to never forget the contributions of Mark Coleman and his likes towards the full-contact combat sport, mixed martial arts (MMA). Mark Coleman would not only be remembered for being The Hammer, a ferocious beast who knocked downed countless opponents on professional wrestling and MMA rings, he would also, be celebrated in many generations to come as the inventor of the ground and pound fighting technique which has largely distinguished mixed martial arts from the rest of combat sports. For this reason, he earned another nickname – The Godfather of Ground and Pound.
More to that, this fighter had an amateur wrestling career which spanned through 1986 to 1992 and a professional one between 2000 and 2010. It is believed that his experience in wrestling went a long way in making it possible for him to rule the world of mixed martial arts and facilitate its development.
Mark’s deeds with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made it natural for him to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Among other accomplishments, he received the UFC Viewer’s Choice Award, bagged the UFC 10 and 11 tournament titles, and tattoed his name on MMA’s forehead as the first UFC Heavyweight Champion.
That’s not all, The Hammer’s reputation preceded the UFC as he equally brought down several walls at Pride Fighting Championships (Pride FC). With the Japanese promotion, he erected a 0.02 record as the fastest win in the promotion’s history and emerged the winner of the Pride 2000 Grand Prix Openweight tournament. With this, The Godfather of Ground and Pound was quickly chronicled as one of the two fighters who have been able to win major tournaments with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride FC.
Of course, Mark Coleman isn’t all about fighting, there is more to who the man is and the following are the facts one ought to know about him.
Facts You Need To Know About Mark Coleman
Age and Early Life
This fighter was named Mark Daniel Coleman after his birth which happened on the 20th of December and in the year 1964. Records have it that his place of birth was in the United States of America. Precisely, in Fremont, Ohio. Although it has been difficult to tell the exact year Mark Coleman decided to start developing himself for a fighting career, it is common knowledge that he kicked off as a teenager.
Attending Saint Joseph Central Catholic High School in his city of birth, Coleman thrived as a wrestler and became the first state champion in this regard for his school. At this point, there was no separating him from the fighting profession, everyone could tell what the future holds for him. As such, it isn’t a surprise he equally flourished as a wrestler at Ohio’s Miami University. Even when he left the institution to complete his studies at Ohio State University, he continued to boom, bagging an NCAA championship for himself among other attainments.
His Rise To Stardom
True, this dude was famous right from his high school days and his fame enlarged in his college years but arguably, his rise to stardom only commenced when he was done with college. It was after college that Mr. Coleman got to join the US Wrestling team. He soon announced himself to the world in Varna Bulgaria when he came second at the FILA World Wrestling event, this was in 1991.
The next year, he proved his worth at the Summer Olympics event in Barcelona, Spain. But it was only the beginning for The Hammer. He would soon join MMA which was a new sport then and establish himself as a dreadful opponent for other fighters at UFC. Coleman had a good time grounding and pounding the hell out of them.
Mark later moved to Pride FC and proved he’s indeed The Godfather of Ground and Pound. This spanned through 1999 to 2006 and between 2008 to 2010 he returned to UFC and got inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Mark didn’t take part in any competition for more than three years before he announced his retirement at the age of 48.
The Hammer’s Post Retirement Endeavors
Mark Coleman has been here and there since his last fight in February 2010. Following his defeat by Randy Couture, a fellow UFC Hall of Famer in 2010, Mark took a break that lasted for a few years. He went through a hip replacement surgery and thereafter, announced his retirement in early 2013. The next year saw him return to the UFC but as a wrestling coach.
Of late, it’s been difficult to tell what’s up with The Hammer. But recently, he was on the news for joining the increasing number of people claiming that Ohio Representative, Jim Jordan knew about Richard Strauss’ sexual abuse of Ohio State’s wrestling team members.
Coleman’s Family – Wife and Children
While it is believed on several quarters that Coleman is married or was at least, once a husband, virtually nothing is known about his partner. Nonetheless, it’s no secret that he has two daughters.
He was heavily criticized for allowing the kids to watch him fight Fedor Emelianenko and letting them into the ring after the clash in which he was heavily battered. According to his critics, he unnecessarily traumatized his lassies.
What’s His Net Worth?
Unfortunately, Mark Coleman’s career attainment didn’t earn him financial freedom. In 2015, it circulated that the UFC legend is financially troubled following the complication of the hip surgery he had. He needed another surgery to deal with an infection that bedeviled his hip and had no option but to set up a GoFundMe page asking for $500,000.
The total value of his wealth may not be known but considering the above, it’s definitely not significant.
