If you ask a UFC fan about Mark Coleman, you’ll likely get an earful about this true legend of the sport. Not only is Coleman a legendary figure in mixed martial arts, but he’s also a key influencer in its rise. He was the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion and played a pivotal role in boosting the sport’s popularity in its early days. Currently retired from the sport, Coleman recently escaped a fire in his childhood home in Ohio, as reported by GoodNews Network. The former UFC champ was woken up by his beloved dog Hammer, who sadly couldn’t survive the fire, but Coleman heroically rescued his parents from the disaster.
However, after rescuing his parents from the fire, Coleman had to be hospitalized due to excess smoke inhalation. He suffered a fatal setback after he was induced into a coma for three days.
There have been positive updates from his family as they have shared pictures and videos of the UFC legend recovering in the hospital. A video was posted on his official Instagram profile, where Coleman’s daughter Kenzie is seen hugging him emotionally. “Sweet God, I’m so lucky. I can’t believe my parents are alive,” he said in a heartbreaking message to his daughters and added: “I had to make a decision, Wes. Because I got out of my room and went to the door and it was already horrible. I couldn’t breathe. I almost had to go outside and I went back in and got them.”
The UFC champ also paid a small tribute to his beloved dog Hammer where he was spotted praising his dog and expressing his sadness over the tragic passing of his pet in the house fire. In his Instagram post dedicated to Hammer, he introduced his new pet and wrote, “We can never replace our beloved little hammer, but it’s OK to love again… you guys are all part of my family now… this is all of our dogs… help me figure out a name. We are thinking King, Martello (meaning hammer in Italian) or Colie… what do you think? He’s got some big shoes to fill. We miss you, Ham. Sober is cool Carnivor. HammerHouse4Life.”
The former champ’s daughters McKenzie and Morgan took the initiative to help their father recover from this setback by setting up a GoFundMe to pay for his hospital bills and to help support his parents, who lost everything in the fire. So far, the GoFundMe account has received $121,636 in donations from friends, family, and fans.
The UFC champ is currently back home with his family and is recovering from the health issues he encountered in the house fire. Coleman has largely remained active on Instagram and posts updates about his health to his loyal fans.
