UFC 109: Mark Coleman “One Final Push?”

Mark “The Hammer” Coleman makes his way into his main event fight atop the UFC 109 fight card against Randy “The Natural” Couture with a great deal at stake.

Forget that the former NCAA and Olympic wrestler was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion. Forget that he was the PRIDE FC 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix Champion, and forget that he was the very first UFC Heavyweight Title Holder.

All of that is history, and the newest member of the UFC Hall-of-Fame needs a victory now in order to continue his quest at light heavyweight gold.

“The Hammer” is given much credit for helping prove that accomplished wrestlers have the ability to dominate in mixed martial arts. He has also been given much credit for being the first American to use the ground-and-pound strategy to overwhelm and finish his opponents.

He has utilized that strategy since his 1996 debut, compiling victories over the likes of Don Frye, Dan Severn, Allan Goes, and Kazuyuki Fujita.

Now, 14 years later, Coleman is at a much different place in his career. While a loss would do very little to diminish his legacy as a fighter, it would almost certainly put an end to any significant matchups in the near future. The truth being, that Coleman’s fighting career is near the end, so any type of loss to Couture would put the proverbial nail in the coffin.

While a loss would be devastating, a victory would do wonders for the 45-year-old. Many expect the heavy favorite, Couture, to run right through Coleman. However, if “The Hammer” can find a way to outsmart his counterpart, he will propel himself into a top-three position in the always crowded 205 pound title picture.

In order for Coleman to shut his doubters up, he must first out think the master planner. If he wants to prove to the organization, his fans, and others in his weight division that he is not washed up, look for Coleman to get back to basics. He will probably try and do what Couture plans on doing to him; get him to the ground and work the strategy that he helped coin “ground and pound.”

This fight should have, and almost did, take place years ago, but myself and many others are content with it happening now instead. It gives the fans the opportunity to watch two solid Hall-of-Famers go at it in a very meaningful bout—in a fight that almost never was. Sit back and enjoy as “The Hammer” gets ready to add another accomplishment to his long list of achievements.