MMA is a sport that took just a couple of decades to conquer the world. Spectacular fights of masters of mixed style will not leave indifferent any fan of martial arts. In the mixfight, you can use both kicks and kicks, and wrestling equipment. Thanks to this tough sport, myths about invincible karate, killing with one blow, and other masters of traditional martial arts, ascribing superhuman opportunities to themselves, were dispelled. Most of the strongest MMA fighters got out of the fight. One of the most famous fighters in mixed martial arts was Coleman. Mark got the nickname Hammer and fully justified it with his uncompromising manner of fighting. What brought a talented fighter to this bloody sport?
Carier start
Hammer has been fond of sports since childhood. He loved freestyle wrestling and achieved excellent results in it, becoming the second in the world championship. Seventh place at the 1992 Olympics is another achievement that Coleman boasts. Mark, after completing his career as a wrestler, decided to try himself in the then still young UFC tournament. In those distant times there were no weight categories and after the first battles, Coleman seemed completely invincible.
The Hammer easily knocked over its opponents to the floor, where they were unable to withstand its huge arms. Like two heavy hammers, they fell upon the faces of unfortunate fighters, leaving them not even a ghostly chance of victory. After the weight categories were introduced in the UFC, Mark Coleman became the heavyweight champion, defeating Dan Severn.
First defeat
But the succession of victories of this fighting monster did not last long. The first to choose the right battle strategy against Coleman was Maurice Smith. The huge muscles of the Hammer look menacing and intimidating, but in protracted battles they can turn from an advantage into a significant drawback. The insidious kickboxer skillfully defended himself on the ground, avoiding the monstrous blows that Colman brought down on him. Mark spent a lot of time in a more advantageous, attacking position, but failed to realize his advantage. Moreover, Maurice Smith, being in a defensive position, struck well-aimed punches and elbows on the face of Mark Coleman.
The tactics of the martial arts performer have paid off. As soon as the fight went into the stance, Coleman turned into a clumsy whipping boy. His strength was not enough to translate the battle into a stalls, and in the rack, Smith simply smashed the eminent fighter. By some miracle, the Hammer managed to survive until the end of the battle, but there was no trace of its terrifying reputation.
Black line
After this fight, the rivals of Mark Coleman perfectly understood what to do. At that time, Brazilian jiu-jitsu was gaining popularity, the masters of which could easily defend themselves on the ground from a seemingly losing position. Therefore, the strategy that Coleman continued to adhere to was no longer justified. The next fight he held in the UFC was very similar to the fight with Maurice Smith, with the only difference being that Petey Williams knocked out the “Hammer” with a well-aimed kick. The next defeat from Pedro Rizzo was by the decision of the judges, which seemed controversial to many. Despite this, Coleman hardly deserved to win that battle.
After a series of annoying setbacks, Mark did not give up, he began to participate in a new tournament called PRIDE. However, here luck did not smile at him. Nabuhiko Takada was able to overcome the "Hammer" in his first fight. Many athletes would give up after such a series of setbacks, but not Coleman. Mark continued to perform in MMA, where he spent many more great fights.
Fedor Emelianenko vs Mark Coleman
Many eagerly awaited the battle between these harsh heavyweights. Their manner of battle was rather similar, and both of them were fighters, so the battle promised to be interesting. And so it happened, especially when the Hammer went behind his back, which Fedor so imprudently gave.
Mark Coleman tried to realize his advantage by making a strangulation, but Emelianenko as an experienced wrestler did not allow him to do this. A struggle ensued, as a result of which Fyodor held a painful arm, forcing the American to surrender.
After this fight, Colman was furious. He took away from the ring only the disappointment that devoured him from the inside. The cameraman filmed how he, leaving the hall, cursed loudly and smashed everything that came in his way. This shows how important the fight with the Russian wrestler was for him.
Revenge
Two years later, another meeting between Fedor Emelianenko and Mark Colman took place. “Hammer”, of course, wanted to take revenge for the unfortunate defeat of the pain in the arm, but instead he had a completely inaudible duel, acting as a whipping boy. Coleman tried to impose on Fedor struggle in the stalls, but he skillfully blocked these attempts, inflicting many blows on the face of Mark. The longer this fight lasted, the more the face of the American wrestler looked like a swollen bloody mask. The blows of the Russian heavyweight were not in vain. However, this battle ended with a pain in the arm, which the "Last Emperor" skillfully held at the first opportunity.
This fight showed that years are taking their toll and Mark Coleman’s career is drawing to a close. At the same time, do not forget that much younger and eminent fighters lost to Fedor, having less resistance. Be that as it may, Mark Coleman made his contribution to the development of MMA, which earned the gratitude of all fans of this spectacular sport.