Source on Mark Coleman Release: “We Were Looking at a Potential Death”

An interesting report has surfaced regarding Mark “The Hammer” Coleman’s release from the UFC today. According to a source close to the situation, health was the driving force behind the UFC Hall of Famer’s Octagon exit.

“It’s never easy for an athlete to hear it’s over,” a source close to the situation told UGO. “We were looking at a potential death in the Octagon.”

Obviously, the 45-year-old Coleman wasn’t able to put up much resistance against former champion Randy Couture. But the concern of having a fighter’s life in the balance was serious enough for the UFC to cut ties with their first heavyweight champion.

After Coleman’s humiliating loss at UFC 109 this weekend, company president Dana White uttered the same sentiments about Coleman’s future.

“I just think he’ll have a hard time competing with the guys at the top level. Age is a factor with him,” White said at the post fight press conference.

Nobody ever wants to see a fighter seriously injured during a fight. Perhaps it’s time for Coleman to hang up his MMA gloves once and for all.

Unfortunately, Coleman told MMAFighting earlier today that the Octagon might be done with him, but he’s not finished with MMA as he’s currently assessing his next move.

This story originally appeared on the MMA website, 5thRound.com