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UFC legend Mark Coleman turns to crowd-funding site to help pay medical bills

UFC legend Mark Coleman turns to crowd-funding site to help pay medical bills

Mark Coleman is one of the greatest fighters MMA has ever seen. The former 1986 national champion in wrestling out of Ohio State had one of the most successful careers in the history of the sport; UFC 10 tournament winner; UFC 11 tournament winner; UFC heavyweight champion; PRIDE FC 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix Champion; UFC Hall of Fame inductee – simply put, “The Hammer” accomplished plenty in his storied 15-year career.

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Coleman last competed at UFC 109 in February 2010 in a losing effort to fellow MMA legend Randy Couture. Since that time, Coleman, 50, has fallen on hard times.

First came a hip replacement surgery in 2013. Soon after, Coleman was invited by BJ Penn to join his team on the reality TV show "The Ultimate Fighter." Apparently, soon after filming wrapped, Coleman’s hip began to pop out of place. Coleman managed the pain for close to a year but it eventually became too much and he went to the hospital.

And that’s when things got even more complicated.

Coleman went under the knife to diagnose the problem and once doctors got inside they found a massive infection. The infection was ‘close to septic’, according to Coleman’s friend, Wes Sims.

So the medical bills are piling up and Coleman, now retired for five years, is pretty well depleted financially. So, Sims, a former fighter himself, set up a GoFundMe account for Coleman, called: “Save The Hammer.”

Early Thursday, a very generous donor kicked in $5,000.

The philanthropist?

UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt's donation to Mark Coleman. (GoFundMe screengrab)
UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt's donation to Mark Coleman. (GoFundMe screengrab)

None other than former PRIDE heavyweight, and current UFC slugger Mark Hunt.

Hunt (10-9-1) and Coleman (16-10) never met in the cage or ring, but both men spent years together competing on the same shows. They have shared a friendship ever since and the donation from “The Super Samoan” most assuredly warmed the hearts of fight fans all over the globe – and of course, Coleman, too.

It's no secret that modern-day athletes, from all sports, suffer from a plague of mismanaged careers and the subsequent pitfalls that come with it. The support and camaraderie from Hunt is a breath of fresh air in a sport filled with face punching and chokeholds.

 

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