Mar-1-2008
"The Hammer" Enters the UFC Hall of Fame and…Announces His ReturnBy Thomas Gerbasi

The next time you watch a UFC event and see a fighter score a double-leg takedown, proceed to change position effortlessly and then ground and pound his opponent out, you can rest assured that Mark Coleman had something to do with it.

A mixed martial arts pioneer who won the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournaments and became the first UFC Heavyweight Champion in 1997, Coleman – who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Saturday night in Columbus during the UFC 82 card and also announced his return to the organization later this year – has probably influenced the style of more fighters than anyone ever to grace the Octagon.

"I'd like to think I've had some influence on some guys," Coleman told UFC.com. "I don't really sit back and think about it too much, but just the response I've received from all the younger fighters makes me feel good and I'm just really glad I could be part of taking the whole sport to the level where it's at right now, which to me is just unbelievable."

Coleman is a big part of the history of the game and why it's the fastest growing sport on the planet, but after a stellar amateur wrestling career that saw him win a NCAA Championship in 1988 for The Ohio State University, earn All-American status twice, and also compete for the United States in the 1992 Olympics, he was 31 and didn't know where his athletic career was going to lead him. But then he turned on the television and saw the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

"I was definitely at a crossroads," said Coleman. "With wrestling, there wasn't a whole lot of pay involved, you were doing a lot for personal pride, and I was definitely not sure about what my future held. That's why it was so exciting when I saw the first UFC on TV. I was immediately attracted to it and I knew immediately that it was what I was gonna do."

And not only did Coleman see a sport that he could compete in and make some money in, he saw one with the potential to be huge across the world.

"The first time I saw it I thought it was the greatest thing I had ever seen in my life," he said. "And I didn't think I was the only one thinking that way."

He still had to fight though, and while adding striking to his wrestling wasn't going to be the easiest thing to do, at least on paper, but Coleman and his fellow wrestlers saw that as a mere formality, a minor detail on their way to greatness in the Octagon.

"Back in '96, me and a bunch of wrestlers may have been naïve, but we just really believed that we were gonna get in there and win these things," he laughed. "I guess that was a good thing because confidence will take you a long way in this sport."

Talent, athleticism, and unbelievable strength and technique doesn't hurt either, and in Coleman's UFC debut on July 12, 1996 in Birmingham, Alabama, he had it all in romping over Moti Horenstein, Gary Goodridge, and Don Frye in one night to win the UFC 10 tournament and become an instant star in mixed martial arts. The Frye victory in particular was special to Coleman, who notes it as the highlight of his UFC career.

"My goal growing up as a little kid was always to be a professional athlete, and at that moment I really felt like I was a professional athlete," he said. "It was so overwhelming when I finally did beat him; it was surreal."

Just two months later, Coleman was back in the Octagon and he was even more devastating, beating Julian Sanchez and Brian Johnston in a combined 3:05 to win the UFC 11 tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and in February of 1997, he capped off his amazing run with a two minute 57 second win over UFC standout (and fellow Hall of Famer) Dan Severn to become the first UFC Heavyweight Champion. And while the wins were impressive, Coleman was so dominating that many thought he would never be beaten.

"Growing up, I was a very shy kid and I didn't like getting picked on, so I knew that I needed to get bigger and stronger because I didn't want anybody to bully me around," recalled Coleman. "So when I got the opportunity to get in the UFC, it was neat how everybody was representing their individual sports, and I definitely wanted to get in there and prove to the world what kind of fighter a wrestler could be, and I did want to dominate, and I felt like I could dominate. Unfortunately, I started reading too many quotes and I paid the price. The reason I did so well in 10, 11, and 12, and in amateur wrestling was because I outworked my opponents. I wasn't used to the exposure and the fanfare, and I got caught up in it and started believing what I was reading too much, and it was a very humbling experience when I did finally lose."

Coleman's winning streak came to an end at UFC 14 when he was decisioned by Maurice Smith, and while he left the organization after subsequent setbacks at the hands of Pete Williams and Pedro Rizzo, you couldn't keep 'The Hammer' down, and after a brief break, he traveled to Japan to compete in the PRIDE organization, where he resurrected his career, won the PRIDE Grand Prix finals in 2000, and re-established himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world.

But his heart always stayed with the UFC.

"If I had my choice between being a Super Bowl Champion, a World Series Champion, an NBA titlist or a UFC Champion, my personal choice would be UFC Champion," said Coleman. "To me, that's the pinnacle of everything in the greatest sport there is."

So when the call came from the UFC earlier this year to tell him that he was going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and in his hometown of Columbus no less, he was at a loss for words.

"My first question was to make sure it was actually true," he laughs. "I can't exaggerate how good a feeling it was to get that phone call. I was stunned and at a loss for words, and as far as my athletic career goes, other than actually competing, it was definitely the greatest day I ever had. A lot of times, life is about being in the right place at the right time and sometimes you have to get lucky. I guess this time everything lined up right for me and I'm very, very thankful to Dana White, the Fertitta Brothers, Joe Silva, and anybody who had a part in this decision, including  
the fans, because if the fans didn't want something like this, it never would have happened. I'm so appreciative and so thankful for all this, it's more than I can even say."

It's a feeling that he shares with his family, especially his two daughters, Mackenzie and Morgan, and his parents, Daniel and Connie.

"My daughters are my life," he said. "They're what make me happy, Mackenzie and Morgan, and I want to be successful and I want them to be proud of me as well. I am getting older and it is getting harder to stay motivated, but watching how hard they work – my oldest daughter, Mackenzie is a five-time state champion in gymnastics, the youngest one, Morgan, is just a super sweetheart – keeps me going. They've been my biggest blessing."

"My parents are very special people, and they've never doubted me in my entire life," continued Coleman. "They've had more confidence in me than I ever have. They scraped up money to travel across the country to watch me wrestle one match. Hell, the match may have only lasted 30 seconds and they drove 20 hours to get there."

These days, the 43-year old Coleman continues to train ("There's no doubt about it that the Hammer's gonna fight again," he says), and he tirelessly works as an ambassador for the sport he loves. But maybe closest to his heart is his work for the Ray Mendoza Leadership Fund, which celebrates the life of his close friend and former roommate, who was killed defending this country in Iraq.

"Ray Mendoza was my college roommate, an incredible man, and everybody loved him," said Coleman. "He went over to Iraq to fight for our country, he served three tours, and unfortunately he was killed in action. Mike DeSabato and I felt like we needed to do something for him and for the families of all the victims, so we started the Ray Mendoza Leadership Fund. I have so much respect for the military and for what they're doing for our country, and I feel that it's important to give back. Hopefully we can build this thing into a monster and help take care of all the families of these fallen soldiers."

It's a classy move from a classy man, one who undoubtedly has earned his spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.

"I have always fought for the fans and I appreciate anyone out there who wishes me well and who was pulling for me," said Coleman. "I hope I've treated the fans with respect."

Unquestionably, and now it's for those fans that Coleman will return to the UFC later this year to face a fellow NCAA champion in Brock Lesnar.

"I'm gonna dedicate my life to this," said Coleman on the UFC 82 pay-per-view broadcast. "The fans want to see me, I'm gonna pay my dues, and I'm gonna do the best I can. He (Lesnar) is a beast, he's an animal, but don't bet the house against me. I'm gonna bring something for Brock Lesnar and I'm gonna beat his butt