Artwork by Stacy Forsyth for MyMMANews
Mark Coleman Chronicles (Part Four)
Mark Coleman Chronicles continues with further insights into Hammer House history. Team Hammer House and Chute Boxe were once in a heated rivalry with one another with the initial Coleman and Shogun fight being a catalyst for that in many ways. The first fight ended with Coleman winning via Shogun suffering an injury after a takedown.
Then chaos broke out with both camps fighting in the ring and there was a lot on the line in Mark Coleman vs Mauricio Rua II. Not just in terms of individual achievement and besting a rival but also in waving the flag for your team. Coleman also got a chance to come back to the UFC for redemption. Another chance to fight for the promotion and a sense of wanting to close things off there on his own terms.
Mark Coleman and the Return To The UFC
“The other fight that really bothers me is the Shogun Rua fight. The second one over in Dublin, Ireland. Where it was my first cut to 205. I went out there and I was game. You’re not gonna see me quit. I remember Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, after watching it on TV, I remember them being worried for me in the first round because I did get tired pretty quick. But there I was still in the third round and in my opinion, it was a very, very close fight.
Continued, “I still don’t know why to this day, with about thirty seconds left in the fight, I don’t know why I was standing up right in front of Mauricio Shogun Rua. My whole career all I ever did was take people down and I gave him the opportunity. He hit me with a nice three punch combo, my legs went out on me, but I wasn’t knocked out. I was ready to hit the ground….I immediately was gonna reach up and grab his legs, take him back down, and see what the judges decided. But it was kind of like Boxing, the referee he stepped in just when I was dropped.”
UFC 100, Besting Bonnar, and Randy Couture Retirement
“The Bonnar fight, that ranked right up there with one of my all-time biggest wins in my life. Forty four years old, UFC 100 and I had a good training camp. That’s one time that I did leave Columbus, I flew out to Vegas, and I had some good coaches out there. I shut the door on my hotel room, put the do not disturb sign up, and I was there for seventy days. I don’t think I let a maid in for the whole seventy days. So it didn’t smell so good in there. I ate, slept, and trained. The only worry I had was getting ready for the fight.”
Continued, “I think the UFC thought they were giving Bonnar an easy one. When I prepare right, I was a handful for anybody. You’re not gonna be at your best many days. You have to go with what you got and that’s what I did. We didn’t turn down many fights. The Hamer House didn’t turn down many fights. My guys were always going into enemy territory. We’re good enemies I guess. The Bonnar fight it ranked right up there. I did have to suck it up. That’s one of the, maybe only fights I was ever losing and came back and won. At the age of 44 and UFC 100, that was a big, big win for me.”
“Unfortunately ups and downs. The next one as Randy Couture which was the last of my career. Hate to end it on that note but the lord gave me a lot of time. 45 years to be busting up my body. That’s a lot of time and I’m thankful for that. I made it 45 years and there’s no room for complaining. I’ve had a lot of highs throughout my life and you’ve gotta deal with the lows.”
