UFC legend Mark Coleman fighting for his life after saving his parents from devastating house fire
The UFC’s first-ever heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman, is fighting for his life after bravely saving his parents from a house fire on Tuesday morning.
According to a report from WTOL 11, multiple departments responded to the 2700 block of South River Road in Fremont, Ohio for a building on fire just after 4 a.m. The report confirms that the family got out of the home, but one individual, Coleman, was airlifted to a local hospital after passing out in the burning home. Coleman is said to have physically carried his parents out of the house as the fire quickly grew out of control. After retrieving his father and mother, Coleman reportedly ran back in to try and save his dog.
According to first responders on the scene, the fire began in the kitchen, but the exact cause has not been identified. The house is believed to be a total loss.
Mark Coleman’s condition was unclear at the time of the initial report, but a recent post by Full Send MMA on Instagram has everyone keeping the former NCAA Division I National Champion in their thoughts and prayers.
“Send some prayers to the UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, he was in a house fire last night and saved his parents. He had to be airlifted to the hospital due to smoke inhalation.”
Mark Coleman’s Legendary Run in Mixed Martial Arts
Mark Coleman is a two-time UFC Hall of Fame inductee, first joining the Pioneer Wing as a part of the class of 2008. Eight years later, he was inducted into the Fight Wing for his classic UFC 17 battle with Pete Williams.
Making his promotional debut at UFC 10, ‘The Hammer’ won back-to-back heavyweight tournaments before submitting Dan Severn to win the inaugural UFC heavyweight championship. After his first run with the UFC came to a close, Coleman ventured to Japan where he engaged in a series of legendary clashes with the likes of Don Frye, Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua.
He returned to the Octagon in 2009 for a rematch with ‘Shogun’ at UFC 93. He also fought the late Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100 before closing his career against fellow legend Randy Couture in February 2010.
