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Mark Coleman is a staple of mixed martial arts and one of the true pioneers of the UFC. Unfortunately, the family man now finds himself in critical condition following a recent admirable act.

When a fire broke out in his childhood home in Ohio, Coleman sprung to action, managing to save both of his parents from the blaze. The former UFC heavyweight champion ran back in for a third time, this time attempting to rescue his dog, who earlier alerted him to the fire by waking him up.

During his heroics, Mark Coleman suffered from smoke inhalation and passed out in the burning home. Numerous fire departments responded to the call and the 59-year-old was airlifted away.

Mark Coleman is a hero.

Saved his parents and his dog from a house fire.

He's hospitalized and in rough shape. Sending him all the love pic.twitter.com/UvUQUPAj34

— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 12, 2024

Close friend and fellow former MMA fighter Wes Sims opened up on the situation in a post on Facebook.

“I’m a very firm believer in the power of prayer,” Sims stated. “I sent family and some friends a few pictures of Mark Coleman’s current situation.”

“I know Mark, if he could talk he’d say film this sh*t Wes. We are going viral!”

Related: Pete Williams and Mark Coleman Fight To Be Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame

“Mark’s parent’s house burnt down last night. Mark saved both [parents] and went back for Hammer, his dog. He was life-flighted to Toledo and is currently intubated and sedated.”

“I swear to GOD—he’s one of the toughest individuals ever created. [He’s] been through so much, a movie at this point could not give his life work justice!”

Mark Coleman was the inaugural heavyweight champion and a 12-fight veteran of the UFC. The powerhouse brought NCAA Division I wrestling into the cage and ended his career with an outstanding finishing rate of 75%.

‘The Hammer’ has come face-to-face with some of the greatest heavyweights to ever grace the sport. Fedor Emelianenko, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, Randy Couture, Mirko Cro Cop, Don Frye, and Dan Severn are just some of the legends who have shared the cage with Coleman.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

KSI is not impressed by what Jake Paul is doing.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Paul will box former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on July 20 at AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas, broadcast live on Netflix. The news that the 27-year-old Paul will fight the 57-year-old Tyson was not well-received by the combat sports world, and Paul’s longtime rival was right there with them.

“Honestly, I just think it’s sad, bro,” KSI said on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, hosted by KSI’s business partner Logan Paul, Jake Paul’s older brother. “I think it’s super sad. I don’t know why Jake took it. It’s a lose-lose. Literally, he knocks out Mike Tyson and he’s beaten what, and OAP? Old-Age-Person. … He’s 57. Mike Tyson is 57 years old. Yes, in his prime, this would have been crazy. But now it’s like, this is just sad.”

Tyson represents a bit of a return to form for Paul, who has drawn heavy criticism for facing past-their-prime MMA fighters for much of his boxing career. However, his past two fights have come against journeyman boxers, but they have also been smaller events than his previous bouts. Fighting Tyson will be anything but small.

“He’s going to have so many people watching,” KSI said. “Millions and millions. Everyone is going to know him as the guy who knocked out an old Mike Tyson.

“But imagine if he gets knocked out by Mike Tyson.”

Oddsmakers seem to think that’s an unlikely scenario though. Tyson, who has not boxed since an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 and has not done so professionally since 2005, is a heavy underdog to Paul. And that’s the issue for KSI — that this is all performative.

“I guess because legacy is my thing, I just feel like for Jake Paul, his legacy is going to be, ‘He can knock out old people,’” KSI said.

“What’s next though? Who is he going to fight next, Muhammad Ali?” he added later. “Is he going to dig him up?! [Laughs.]”

During the conversation, Logan Paul noted that he had also been approached to face Tyson in a boxing match, but that it wasn’t on Netflix and wasn’t for the same major payday Jake Paul stands to make, suggesting that the financial incentives make this an easy decision for his brother. But KSI disagreed.

“You know the funny thing is, Evander Holyfield followed me,” KSI said. “Messaged me, DMed me. I said, nah. I’m not doing that. I don’t want to be seen as the guy just doing — I feel like for me, it’s low-hanging fruit. I don’t want it, bro.”

Jake Paul and KSI have a long-standing beef centered around their roles in the boxing space. While Paul has courted acceptance from the traditional boxing scene, KSI has leaned all the way into influencer boxing, even starting his own Misfits Boxing promotion. Both men have talked about the possibility of fighting each other one day, with KSI openly campaigning for the bout over the past few years, but it still seems no closer to happening.

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Preferential treatment?
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Mark Coleman is being hailed as a “hero.”

The former UFC heavyweight champion helped his parents escape a deadly fire early Tues. morning in Fremont, Ohio, but succumbed to smoke inhalation after returning to retrieve the family dog. Coleman was promptly air lifted to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.

The dog did not survive, according to a report from WTOL11.

“I’m a very firm believer in the Power of Prayer,” former UFC heavyweight Wes Sims wrote on Facebook. “I sent family and some friends a few pictures of Mark Coleman’s current condition. I know Mark if he could talk he’d say ‘film this shit Wes, we are going viral!’ Mark’s parents’ house burnt down last night. Mark saved both Dan and Connie Foos Coleman and went back for ‘Hammer’ his dog. He was life flighted to Toledo and is currently intubated and sedated. I swear to GOD he’s one of the toughest individuals ever created, been through so much — a movie at this point could not give his life work justice! Please [pray] and share! Life is precious!”

The fire reportedly started in the kitchen but the exact cause remains unknown.

Coleman, 59, finished his career in the same place it began, inside the Octagon, losing by way of submission to fellow elder statesman Randy Couture at UFC 109 back in early 2010. The former Olympic wrestler holds wins over Mauricio Rua, Stephan Bonnar and Igor Vovchanchyn, just to name a few.

“The Hammer” joined the UFC Hall of Fame back in early 2008.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Sean O’Malley wanted a finish at UFC 299, but he can’t be that disappointed after putting on a clinic for five rounds, hitting Chito Vera with everything and the kitchen sink.

O’Malley was stunned at Vera’s ability to absorb punishment, which included one of the nastiest knee strikes in the history of the UFC. With just over a minute remaining in the second round, he threw a knee at the same moment that Vera ducked his head down, and the impact sounded like Aaron Judge rocketing a baseball out of Yankee Stadium.

Replays showed O’Malley’s knee landed flush, but somehow Vera took the shot and just kept coming. In that moment, O’Malley admits the reverberation of his knee bouncing off Vera’s face made him feel a little sick to his stomach.

“I would love know if I broke something in his face with that knee,” O’Malley said on The MMA Hour. “It was the loudest pop I’ve ever heard hitting someone. It was actually a disgusting feeling. It was gross. I would love to see a picture of his face today.”

Vera posted a statement on social media, but he hasn’t shown off any photos showing the aftermath of his fight with O’Malley this past Saturday night. Before he left the cage, Vera spoke to UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, and his face was already swelling up with multiple cuts and bruises from the battering that O’Malley delivered.

As much as it pained him to hear the sound of that knee strike crunching against Vera’s head, O’Malley knows it’s all part of the job, and it’s what they sign up for when competing in the UFC.

“Leading up, I was just so excited to get my hands on him, to beat his ass,” O’Malley said. “It’s a weird thing. Then you hear someone like Dustin Poirier talking about how bad he was feeling, [how] down in the dumps he was, from after that Justin Gaethje fight. I’m sure Chito’s dealing with some s*** right now; I doubt he would disagree. I’m sure he’s not having a great time.

“So there’s a part of me that feels bad for him, and I obviously caused that, but it’s the fight game.”

Despite the narrative that surrounded the fight – O’Malley seeking vengeance for the only loss on his record – the reigning UFC bantamweight champion said that never really fueled him going into the rematch.

“No one in the world looks at that as a win [for ‘Chito’],” O’Malley said. “They officially overturned it, The ‘Suga’ State Athletic Commission, legally overturned it. If anyone looks at that as a win, they’re delusional.

“I’ve never lost and felt like I lost where it was depressing. That first fight I fought Chito, and that happened the way it happened, it was a fluke in my mind. I knew I was better than him. I knew I was. I just knew eventually someday I’d prove it. So I never let that fight bother me ever. I obviously had to go out there and prove it. 50-44 at one point from one of the judges.”

O’Malley definitely backed up his belief with a lopsided win over Vera. But even with that lone blemish on his resume now effectively erased, he still feels there’s more work to do to get respect from his peers.

He already faced criticism after winning the title with a second-round knockout after former champion Aljamain Sterling made an incredibly quick turnaround to face him this past August.

Now, O’Malley expects to hear all about how Vera didn’t deserve the title shot in the first place. and he needs to beat a more legitimate contender to solidify himself as champion. In a strange way, he might actually agree with that assessment.

“I think we could all agree Chito got gifted that title shot,” O’Malley said. “I asked for it. I believe I deserved to be able to ask for it after performing and doing what I did against Aljo. So I asked for the Chito fight, I got the Chito fight, but he got gifted that.

“I think I’ve still got to go out there and prove to the haters and the doubters, that I can beat someone like Merab [Dvalishvili] or Ilia [Topuria] or Cory [Sandhagen], or whoever’s next.”

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Paddy Pimblett is confident that he could put Conor McGregor on his back and submit him in a potential dream match.

Since making his UFC debut in 2021, Pimblett has taken the MMA world by storm, earning five straight victories inside the Octagon with his most recent coming against former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 in December.

Recently, Pimblett sat down with Rob Moore to discuss a variety of topics, including the influx of influencers in the sport and avid MMA fan Mark Zuckerberg. Along the way, Pimblett was asked who he would consider to be his dream opponent in the UFC. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Liverpudlian picked none other than fellow Cage Warriors alumnus and one of the highest-paid athletes of all time, Conor McGregor.

“You’d have to say Conor [McGregor] because you get paid more for fighting him than anyone else, so I’d probably have to say him,” Pimblett said.

As for how ‘The Baddy’ sees that potential dream match playing out, Pimblett would look to take McGregor’s world-class striking out of the equation and employ a game plan similar to the one Khabib Nurmagomedov used to score his own win over the Irishman in their legendary clash at UFC 229.

“Obviously, he’s a striker so I’d put him on his back and submit him,” Pimblett added.

Paddy Pimblett has a ways to go before he’s on Conor McGregor’s radar

Though Pimblett’s star power seemingly rises a little more with each passing day, he’s likely far from being on Conor McGregor’s radar.

Currently, ‘Mystic Mac’ is gearing up for a return to the Octagon, though nobody seems to know when it will actually happen. McGregor has been touting his quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sports history” for some time but has yet to book a date. Who’s at fault for McGregor’s lengthy absence tends to change depending on who you are talking to with UFC CEO Dana White routinely blaming McGregor by suggesting that his immense wealth is the culprit.

McGregor, on the other hand, has remained adamant that he is ready to return and has practically begged UFC and NSAC officials to give him a date.

Recently, McGregor’s long-rumored return opponent, ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler, claimed that the two fighters will finally square off during the culmination of this year’s International Fight Week on June 29, though no official announcements have been made regarding the event.

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