UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman has been hospitalized after a house fire. Coleman, 59, is suffering from smoke inhalation after rescuing his parents from the fire in Toledo in the early morning hours on Tuesday, his daughter Morgan said in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Coleman was alerted of the fire by his dog, Hammer. The UFC legend managed to rescue his parents before succumbing to smoke inhalation while attempting to rescue his dog. The fundraising site, GoFundMe, shows a photo of Mark Coleman strapped up to a ventilator.
“As many know, our dad was involved in a house fire early this morning along with his parents and beloved dog, Hammer,” Morgan Coleman wrote Tuesday on Instagram. “He managed to carry both of his parents out of the house but despite his best efforts was not able to save Hammer. He was life-flighted to the hospital where he is currently battling for his life after this heroic act.
“Our father has always been our hero and means the world to us. He is and always will be a fighter. The strongest and bravest man I know. Please continue to pray for him and our family during this extremely difficult time. We will miss our sweet Hammer so deeply.”
Friend and rival Dan Severn, whom Coleman defeated in 1997 to become the inaugural UFC heavyweight champion, wrote on Twitter that Coleman is in critical condition.
Coleman is a pioneer of mixed martial arts and an accomplished amateur wrestler. Coleman won an NCAA Division I title for Ohio State in 1998 before representing the U.S. in the 1992 Olympics. Coleman became the first UFC heavyweight champ in his sixth professional fight and later won the Pride FC 2000 Openweight Grand Prix Tournament. He retired after fighting fellow legend Randy Couture in the first fight between two active UFC Hall of Famers in 2010.
