Recovering Mark Coleman "Happiest Man In The World"

A MARK COLEMAN PRIMER

Respectfully known as the “Godfather of Ground and Pound,” Mark Coleman was one of the first elite amateur wrestlers to translate his work on the mat into the fairly young sport of mixed martial arts, influencing countless fighters to this day.

Before getting his place in the UFC Hall of Fame, though, Coleman was an NCAA Champion and All-American for The Ohio State University, as well as a member of the 1992 US Olympic team.

Needless to say, he was no stranger to athletic excellence. But, at 31, Coleman had reached a crossroads in his career and didn’t know where he was heading until he saw the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

An intense training camp later, he entered the Octagon for the first time at UFC 10 in1996, and suddenly, the mild-mannered Coleman became "The Hammer," as he defeated Moti Horenstein, Gary Goodridge, and Don Frye in succession to win that night’s tournament and introduce a new phrase into the mixed martial arts vernacular: Ground and Pound.