Coleman ready to fight his way back to top of sport


Hilliard resident Mark Coleman poses with daughters Morgan, 5 (left) and McKenzie, 7, under the belt he won in 2000 at the Pride Grand Prix World Championships.

Exerpt

Coleman ready to fight his way back to top of sport

Thursday, March 17, 2005

AARON BLANKENSHIP
ThisWeek Staff Writer

Over the last 10 years, Mark Coleman has earned the reputation of being a mixed martial arts legend by fighting and beating many of the top competitors on the planet.

But most of his fans don’t know that the 6-foot-1, 245-pound bruiser known as “The Hammer” draws inspiration from his daughters – Mckenzie, 7, and Morgan, 5.

“I still love to compete, but I’m not fighting for my own ego anymore,” said Coleman, as he sat with his younger daughter in their Hilliard home. "My daughters are my life and a big reason for why I still do this. I want to win for my family so that I can send them off to college.

“I’ve asked them if they want me to quit fighting or wrestling, because sometimes it keeps me away from home for long periods of time. They say, ‘No, we understand. Go and get ready.’ They motivate me, because I want to do my best for them.”

Coleman competes for Pride Fighting Championships, a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which draws crowds of more than 50,000 fans for bi-monthly pay-per-views.

In his most recent fight, Feb. 20 in the Pride 29 pay-per-view in Tokyo, Coleman was knocked out by Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic in the first round of the main event.

But that has made Coleman more determined than ever to fight his way back to the top of the sport.

Full article here

Who wants to bet Coleman tapped out to that submission hold?!?!

The fight with Crocop proved Coleman is well past his prime and should pack it in.

A loss against crocop is nothing to be ashamed of.

Who the hell HASN’T lost against crocop? Shit, if you can’t take him down, you’re screwed. Nog couldn’t take him down for two and a half rounds, and that was before he had any BJJ instruction.

Coleman is in great shape for someone that’s 40 years old. He may not be able to beat crocop or fedor, but I’d pick him against a lot of other fighters.

Anyone looks over the hill against the top three PRIDE heavyweights, but Coleman’s style is just plain outdated.