Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman
Coleman in 2005
Born (1964-12-20) December 20, 1964 (age 59)
Fremont, Ohio, U.S.
Other namesThe Hammer
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight235 lb (107 kg; 16 st 11 lb)
DivisionLight heavyweight (2009–2010)
Heavyweight (1996–2006)
Reach75 in (191 cm)
StyleFreestyle wrestling
Fighting out ofColumbus, Ohio, U.S.
TeamTeam Hammer House[1]
RankNCAA Division I Wrestling
Olympic Freestyle Wrestling
Years active1996–2010 (MMA)
2000–2002, 2004–2007 (professional wrestling)
Mixed martial arts record
Total26
Wins16
By knockout7
By submission5
By decision4
Losses10
By knockout3
By submission5
By decision2
UniversityOhio State University
Miami University
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1991 Varna 100 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Colorado Springs 90 kg
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana 100 kg
Gold medal – first place 1992 Albany 100 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana 100 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Ohio State Buckeyes
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 1988 Ames 189 lb

Mark Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride Fighting Championships 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix champion. At UFC 82 Coleman was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Coleman is credited with proving the ability of wrestlers to dominate in the developing sport of mixed martial arts, and with being one of the first in American MMA to use the strategy that he coined ground-and-pound successfully,[2][3][4] earning him the moniker, "The Godfather of Ground & Pound".[5] In the sport of wrestling, Coleman was a World Championship runner-up and Pan American Games Gold medalist in 1991, won three Pan American Championships, competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and was an NCAA Division I National Champion for the Ohio State Buckeyes.[6]

  1. ^ "Fight Finder: Mark Coleman". Sherdog. 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
  2. ^ Olavarria, Pedro (February 11, 2015). "Dan Severn: When Wrestling Became a Martial Art | FIGHTLAND". Fightland.vice.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Aita, Bret; Krauss, Erich (November 10, 2010). Brawl. ECW Press. ISBN 9781554902385. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "In fact, he's known as the "Godfather of Ground & Pound". Mark Coleman has got such a long list of wrestling titles, but it's when he stepped into mixed martial arts that he really proved the dominance of wrestlers who can go into the guard and strike or take you down and strike. He is the man responsible for coining the term 'ground and pound'" referring to his ability to takedown and then punch, elbow, and knee his way to victory (Stephen Quadros, Pride 16, 2001)
  5. ^ "UFC 10: Birth of ground 'n' pound". Yahoo. April 12, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference 11w was invoked but never defined (see the help page).