Interviewed By: Jonathan M King The Clinch Report
Video shot and edited by Bob Fisher from www.Pugilpix.com
Mark Coleman is a UFC Hall of Famer, a pioneer in the sport, and an innovator of one of the most dominate techniques in mixed martial arts. ‘The Godfather of Ground and Pound’ Coleman transitioned to the burgeoning sport of mixed martial arts after a collegiate wrestling career that saw him win a National Championship, that lead to an appearance as an Olympian during the 1992 games.
Coleman began his career with two UFC tournament wins, and punctuated that run with winning the inaugural UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 12 when he defeated Dan Severn via neck crank in the very first round. ‘The Hammer’ as he became known went on to win The Pride FC Grand Prix Tournament defeating 3 fighters (Igor Vovchanchyn, Kazuyuki Fujita, and Akira Shiji) in one night.
While his career flourished Coleman also began training other fighters under his Hammer House banner. One of those fighters Phil Baroni was the reason Coleman was in town. Baroni and Coleman have been friends for over 15 years now, and was corner Baroni for the event.
Although now retired as a fighter, Coleman continues to carve a name for himself in this sport, but now as a coach.He was featured this season on The Ultimate Fighter, as BJ Penn’s wrestling coach. The contestants really took to his teaching, and who better to learn from than ‘The Hammer’. The man has fought all over the world, won championships on two continents, competed at the 1992 Olympics, and is recognized in the UFC Hall of fame.
For fans of the sport who remember the beginning, Mark Coleman is a legend, MMA Royalty. For newer fans that are not in the ‘know’. Watch his brutal landscapes on Fight Pass or Youtube if you can, it will most certainly be worth your time.
You can find Mark Coleman via Social Media on twitter at HammerHouseMMA
THE CLINCH REPORT 