“Put Me Into a Coma” – UFC Legend Mark Coleman Reveals Harrowing Details of Saving Parents From Fire

It’s not every day that one gets the honor of wrapping the BMF title around the waist of Max Holloway in the company’s record 300th PPV. Until you are the inaugural UFC heavyweight champion, Mark Coleman of course! However, this honor came at a steep price. One that blurred the lines between the fanatic horrors of cage fighting and the blunt reality of your loved ones’ mortality. For the unversed, ‘The Hammer’ nearly died saving his parents from a horrific fiery fire that broke out in their Fremont, Ohio home last year.

On the night of 12 March 2024, the Colemans were blissfully oblivious to the fact that a fire had broken out in their home. The UFC legend who was still recovering from hip surgery five months prior, woke to find his dog, ‘Hammer’ barking frantically. It was then the former champ came to the horrifying conclusion that his house was on fire and his parents’ lives were in danger. Moreover, any lapse in judgment would have resulted in infamy.

Getting into action without a moment’s hesitation like the real-life superhero he is, Coleman carried his mother and father one by one in his arms outside their house, nearly dying in the process owing to severe smoke inhalation. The experience, as you can imagine, traumatized Coleman who was airlifted after the harrowing incident after which he was unconscious in the hospital for nearly three days.

“Yeah, the house fire was, you know. I was really lucky because it was just, you know, like three and a half weeks after one of my surgeries. So luckily it wasn’t two weeks ‘cuz, you know, I was really struggling. But three and a half weeks was just enough that I was able to move and get through that house,” Coleman told ‘Cage Talks’ in an interview.

“You know, one time I got lost in there. I had my mom in my arms and I got lost and I had no clue where I was. But I thought I made it out without any trouble. I, you know, I was coughing real hard I thought I made it out without any injuries but you it was a lot worse than I thought, you know. When the ambulance got there, they had to life flight me to the hospital and bunch of pipes down the throat, put me into a coma for a couple of days,” he added.

Apart from this, ‘The Hammer’ was trying to get hold of his life just 14 months before the incident occurred. After battling alcoholism for nearly 10 years, the former champ got sober but turned obsessive regarding his fitness and nutrition. However, this was the one thing that helped him make the great escape.

“If it wasn’t for that training, I’d probably get myself out, but if I go back in to get my parents, they would have had to pick me up and carry me out, because that’s how bad of shape I was in,” he told MMA Fighting last year. “I don’t know how I did it, because I took in a lot of smoke.”

‘The Hammer’ would further tell that doctors showed him the black tar that had been washed out of his lungs in the hospital. The toxic waste filled up an entire jar! Certainly, a life or death situation! Right after being discharged from the hospital, Coleman thanked the MMA community for their outpour of support and financial aid that helped him recover.

Mark Coleman commends fans for their support during his near-death ordeal

As already mentioned, Mark Coleman inhaled a lethal amount of smoke amidst the rescue operation. ‘The Hammer’ was immediately rushed to a hospital in Toldeo via an emergency flight, and was put into an induced coma by the doctors to save his life. And being the absolute warrior he was, the former UFC champion eventually made a full recovery, although his lungs and respiratory system have suffered long-term damage because of how much smoke he inhaled.

“When I woke up two days later, and I heard about everybody. The fans around the whole world praying for me, and it was just overwhelming. ‘Cuz my fans have always come to my rescue when I’ve needed them and hopefully it’s because I’ve been good to them,” Coleman added. For the unversed, a GoFundMe raised $121,000 for his medical treatments.

Indeed, Coleman has been good to his fans. After all, the UFC’s first heavyweight champ is one of the OG generations of UFC fighters, who fought back in the pre-Dana White Wild West days of the UFC. The time before there were weight classes and when there were (almost) no rules. Back when the UFC resembled Mortal Kombat more than a respected and sophisticated sport!

One of the pioneers in the entire sport, the UFC 10 and 11 tournament winner introduced and popularized the concept of ground-and-pound to the sport. Oh, and did we mention these guys had to fight multiple guys the same night, and made peanuts for their troubles? How can any MMA fan not love and respect Coleman? What do you think about Mark Coleman’s revelations about the harrowing house fire?