Pride GP Total Elimination 2004 Preview
Emelianenko Fedor vs Mark Coleman
Apr 21, 2004
Emelianenko Fedor
vs. Mark “The Hammer”
Coleman
EMELIANENKO FEDOR: Russian Sambo practitioner, Master of Sport in Judo, Master of Sport in Self-Defense, 1997 Russian National Judo Champion, 1998 Moscow International Self-Defense Gold Medallist, 1998 Moscow Judo Bronze Medallist (stove), 1998 Russian Self-Defense Bronze Medallist (Kaliningrad), 1998 Russian Armed Forces Championship Gold Medallist (Heavyweight Div),1998 Russian Armed Forces Championship Silver Medallist (Absolute Div), 1999 Russian Self-Defense Champion, 1999 Moscow International Self-Defense Championships Bronze Medallist, 1999 Self-Defense Team Championship of Europe Gold Medallist, 2000 Russian Self-Defense Championships Bronze Medallist, 2001 World Wrestling Heavyweight Record Holder, 2002 Russian Self-Defense Heavyweight Champion, 2002 Russian Team Self-Defense Gold Medallist (team captain), 2002 International Self-Defense World Champion (Absolute Div), 2002 World Sambo Heavyweight Championship Silver Medallist, RINGS 2001 World Title Series Heavy Weight Class Champion, RINGS 2002 World Title Series Absolute Weight Class Champion, current Pride Fighting Championships Heavyweight Champion, trained with Andrei Kopylov, Iouri Kotchkine, Mikhail Illoukhine, Volk Han and the rest of the Russian Top Team, has recently been training with Gilbert Yvel, Alistair Overeem, Ernesto Hoost and coach Lucian Calvin in Holland and is currently a member of the Red Devil Fight Club, with a 23-1 record in MMA, making his 6th appearance (5-0) in the ring of the PFC
Abbreviated Fight History:
Emelianenko Fedor is the oldest of three brothers. He began training judo and self-defense and began training under Gavrilov V.I. in St. Oskol, Belogorod. He continued to train under Voronov V.M. and entered college in 1991 and graduated with a red diploma in 1994. He served in the Russian Army from 1995 to 1997 and earned both Master of Sport in Self-Defense and Master of Sport in Judo titles in ’97. Fedor would continue to excel in tournament competition, winning championships in judo and self-defense on a yearly basis. He began fighting professionally in 2000 and training with Michkov A.V. to work on his striking. Fedor spent time fighting in Russia (8 bouts there, 8-0) and competing in sport grappling competitions before making the transition to MMA. He began participating in RINGS events in 2000, winning the absolute weight class tournament in 2002 and moving on to Pride the later the same year. He won the PFC heavyweight tile in May of 2003 and was dethroned later that year due to his inability to defend his title because of injuries suffered in competition and training. Below are a number of Fedor’s most significant contests.
Fedor/Ricardo Arona: The Arona fight was the first time I had seen Fedor. I had already seen Ricardo beat Jeremy Horn and school some other RINGS veterans. Then Fedor shows up and totally frustrates him. I have to say if the bout had been under the more open-rules of the PFC or UFC, Fedor would’ve KO’d Arona. Either Ricardo had an off night or Fedor’s wrestling is just that good. I specifically counted the takedowns Ricardo had against Fedor. He had two. Not in the first round, or in each round. He had two in the entire 15 minute fight. Emelianenko showed solid ability and took a unanimous decision victory.
Fedor/Kerry Schall: One of the better fights to judge his abilities was against Kerry “Meat Truck” Schall in the first RINGS World Title Series event. Schall is about 3 inches taller and nearly 45 lbs heavier than Fedor. In his pre-fight interview Schall say he was going to stand and trade with the Russian and he felt Fedor couldn’t handle his power. That little plan fell apart when Kerry ate two solid rights and two 1-2 combinations at the opening bell. He gets powered to the ground and Fedor applies an armbar. To his credit Schall is able to roll out of it and gets back to his feet. Another impressive display of Fedor’s punching power sends Schall into the ropes and again he is muscled back to the floor. After toying with him, Fedor slapped on another armbar that simultaneously chokes Schall and Kerry’s RINGS experience was over.
Fedor/Heath Herring: From the opening bell, Emelianenko Fedor owned Heath Herring. Watching Herring, who we’re used to seeing in the “dominator” role, was getting hammered. Even when Herring tried to get back to his feet, Fedor was there to pound his face. At the break between rounds the corner was forced to stop the match because Heath had sustained so much facial damage.
Fedor/Rodrigo Nogueira: Fedor operated in a calm, cool manner against the PFC heavyweight champion who was 7-0 in Pride to that point had submitted 5 of his victims. Emelianenko couldn’t care less. It went the distance but Nogueira was beaten. There was no question as he dropped to his knees in his corner from a combination of exhaustion and disgust and the PFC heavyweight title was no longer his.
Fedor/Kazuyuki Fujita: Fujita had a puncher’s chance of finishing Fedor but the bout went pretty much the way most felt it would with Fedor stopping the Inoki-inspired grappler in the first round. Emelianenko showed the true heart of a champion when he quickly recovered from being stunned by a strike from Fujita. The Russian was able to clear his head, attack a weakness and finish Kazuyuki on the mat with a punishing rear choke.
Fedor/Gary Goodridge: No real surprises here. Fedor unloads from the bell but most are deflected by Gary. He follows with knees to the body and a takedown, allowing Emelianenko to land in the guard of Goodridge. Fedor lands numerous rights and then kicks to the head which Gary had no answer for. The champion stands over Goodridge, punching him in the face and the ref calls a stop to the bout early in the first round.
Also worthy of note: Fedor battled Renato “Bablu” Sobral (won/decision), Ryushi Yanagisawa (won/decision), Christopher Haseman (won/TKO), Semmy Schilt (win/decision) and Yugi Nagata (win/TKO)
Strengths And Weaknesses:
Few fighters generate the power Fedor does in his Ground’n’Pound tactics on the mat. He is devastating. Emelianenko had absolutely no problem dealing with a larger fighter’s weight as exhibited in the Goodridge and Schall fights. He has nice transitions too. He’s not afraid to give up on a technique if it doesn’t feel right. Fedor’s thick Russian frame also allows him to apply what appears to be a devastating guillotine choke hold. His weakness is he may be a bleeder. If he gets cut like it did with Kohsaka, it could cause a stoppage. Emelianenko also needs to go in for the kill and finish his opponents. He has a tendency to prolong his beatings and it puts unnecessary stress on and damage to his own body. This is the opening round of a tournament so the quicker, the better.
How He Can Beat Coleman:
By sticking to his aggressive style and setting the pace. If he brings the fight right to Coleman, doesn’t allow himself to be taken down and pushes Coleman like he did with Goodridge, Emelianenko could have a quick first round KO and save himself for the next event.
MARK COLEMAN: American wrestler, two-time state high school wrestling champion, one-time runner up state high school wrestling champion, two-time Mid American College Wrestling Champion, placed 4th in Division One Final, 1991 Pan Ams Gold Medallist, 1991 United States National Freestyle Champion, 1991 World Championships Silver Medallist, 1992 Olympic Team Member (placed 7th), 1995 Sunkist Open veteran (defeated Kurt Angle), 2-time UFC tournament champion, former undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, 2000 Pride Grand Prix Tournament Champion, trains with Kevin Randleman, Brandon Lee Hinkle and Wes Sims and other members of the Hammer House
Abbreviated Fight History:
Mark grew up in Fremont, Ohio near Columbus. He played baseball, football and of course wrestled all through high school. He wanted to play football and was an all-state middle linebacker at St. Joseph High School but he was not recruited by a Division One school. He took a baseball scholarship at Miami of Ohio but quickly focused on wrestling and excelled there becoming a two-time Mid American College Wrestling Champion and placing 4th in the Division One Final as a junior. As a senior he transferred to Ohio State and graduated with a degree in education. From there he set his sights on becoming an Olympic champion. Mark continued to accumulate wins and made the Olympic team in 1992. He competed with disappointing results and placed 7th. A discouraged Coleman continued to compete and even beat Kurt Angle at the 1995 Sunkist Open. In his ’96 Olympic run, he made it to the semi-finals but fell short and his MMA fighting career began shortly thereafter. Coleman won the UFC 10 and 11 tournaments and captured the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 12 submitting Dan “The Beast” Severn. His luck went south from there, losing 4 fights in a row including the monumental bout with kickboxer Maurice Smith and the KO loss to Lion’s Den fighter Pete Williams. Coleman returned to his winning ways at Pride 8 beating Brazilian giant Ricardo Morais. The win earned Mark an invitation to the first Pride Grand Prix in 2000. A combination of skill and a soft bracket allowed Coleman to run the tables and advance to the final to face Ukrainian nightmare Igor Vovchanchyn. Mark defeated the super striker with knees to the head and captured the title. He has fought 3 times in 4 years, losing to former PFC Heavyweight Champion Rodrigo Nogueira and defeating Don Frye a rematch 7 years after their initial meeting.
Coleman/Don Frye: Everyone knows these two have met twice but the UFC bout was the more groundbreaking and. Frye was also 30 pounds lighter than Coleman in the first bout and those who have read No Holds Barred: Evolution know all about the Richard Hamilton controversy about this match. If you haven’t read it, read it. At UFC 10, Coleman was able to ground Frye immediately and open Don up less than two minutes into the match. They got back to the feet four and half minutes in but “The Hammer” brought it right back to the mat and took Frye’s back. There was a break 6 minutes in to look at Frye’s eye but they started again in the center. Coleman eventually took him to the mat and controlled him there. Frye was able to get back to his feet but Coleman made him pay standing and finished him on the canvas with strikes at 11:36 of the first round. Coleman also won the rematch at Pride 26 by decision.
Coleman/Maurice Smith: This was the legendary “striker beats grappler” bout. All the pre-fight hype on this one was great, especially Mo saying Coleman “punches like a girl”. Them’s fightin’ word hombre. Mark played his game (which at that time included head butts) but Maurice employed his Lion’s Den training and hung tough. Eleven minutes in Coleman started to gas and it was Smith who was dictating the pace. In overtime, it was all Smith and it took every ounce of Coleman’s strength to simply stand up. Maurice became the UFC Heavyweight Champion as a huge underdog. It was a true classic match in the sport of MMA.
Coleman/Pete Williams: The rumor was Coleman had evolved as a fighter and was re-energized to compete. A 22-year old kid named Petey Williams was making his octagon debut. This was the first time Coleman couldn’t use his beloved headbutts in the cage so his game was forced to evolve. Coleman brought it to the mat early and it looked like Williams was in trouble but a near armbar submission from the youngster made it interesting. They stayed grounded with Williams avoiding serious punishment. They stand midway through the 1st and Coleman tags Williams in the head but his energy slowly seeps out of him. “The Hammer” blasts Williams from behind while Pete is facing the cage and he looks like he is going out. Pete eventually fires back but it is back on the mat for Coleman. They go to overtime and Williams comes out very aggressive, pounding Coleman with combinations and forcing him to shoot. The action was met with a knee to the face and Mark looks rocked. A big right roundhouse kick to the face drops Coleman to the mat and Williams’ debut becomes something MMA dreams are made of.
Coleman/Pedro Rizzo: This bout was part of the “Road To The Heavyweight Championship” tournament that ran from UFC 18 to UFC 20 and featured fighters Coleman and Rizzo as well as Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Bas Rutten, Kevin Randleman and Maurice Smith. At this time Mark was working with Ken Shamrock and the Lion’s Den. He got the early takedown on Pedro and worked the fight to the side of the cage. Although he was striking well in Pedro’s guard and there were new wrinkles in his game, the overall style and method was the same. Rizzo was very passive and Coleman was out striking due to Pedro’s passiveness. When Pedro started to heat up, Mark would jab or rush him and throw his game off. Coleman scored another takedown and pounded away until they were stood up. Mark looked drained and the set up was there for Rizzo to do the same thing Williams did 7 months earlier. In the overtime Pedro stayed busy and had his moments but he waited and waited and waited and the opportunity to finish him passed right by. Somehow, Rizzo won a split decision but he would not advance to face Bas Rutten because he and Rutten were friends and training partners. We never saw a Coleman/Rutten bout. What a waste.
Coleman/Ricardo Morais: This was Coleman’s first real fight in Pride. The story behind Mark’s “performance” with Nobuhiko Takada at Pride 5 is well documented. Here he faced 6’8 Ricardo “The Mutant” Morais. After a lengthy feeling out process, Coleman got the takedown and they fought from inside Morais’ guard. Mark kept them in the corner and tried a neck crank but he couldn’t seem to do much with the giant, even from side mount. Ricardo got back to his feet, flailed away and connected with a few shots but he was taken back to the canvas by Mark. Coleman kept the bout grounded for the rest of the round but neither fighter did much damage. The overtime round started with a quick takedown by Coleman and an attempted neck crank from the side mount. This and subsequent neck cranks didn’t work but he controlled from the top and was active throughout the match. He easily won a decision victory.
Coleman/Igor Vovchanchyn: In the final bout of the 2001 GP, Coleman faced the most feared striker in the PFC; Igor Vovchanchyn. Coleman’s road to the title round was an easier one (with semi-final opponent Kazuyuki Fujita pulling out of the tourney) than Igor’s but hey, he came to fight who they put in front of him so you can’t knock him for that. In the final bout Coleman got the early takedown and the entire round was spent keeping Vovchanchyn grounded and immobile. Mark applied a keylock late in the round but he couldn’t get Igor to tap and that was all the true offense in the first round. In the second round, an exhausted Vovchanchyn tried to keep it on the feet but “The Hammer” dropped him to the mat and pounded out the win with knees to the head at 3:09 of the second round.
Coleman/Rodrigo Nogueira: Coleman was back in the ring fighting a bout originally scheduled to be the headliner at Pride 15 but the match was postponed due to an injury to Mark suffered in a Japanese pro wrestling match. He faced then RINGS King of Kings 2000 tournament champion Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in Rodrigo’s second PFC match. From the bell they exchanged in the corner and Nogueira’s striking looked solid. His knees, elbows and uppercuts in tight did serious damage to “The Hammer”. A slip on a high kick put Nogueira on the mat with Coleman in his guard. After several minutes on the mat Nogueira armbarred Coleman who obviously wasn’t at 100%. “Minotauro” went on to superstardom n his second Japanese MMA promotion.
Also worthy of note: Coleman battled Moti Horenstein (win/TKO), Gary Goodridge (win/submission), (Brian Johnston (win/submission), Dan Severn (win/submission), Masaaki Satake (win/submission), Akira Shoji (win/decision), Kazuyuki Fujita (win/TKO) and Allan Goes (win/KO)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Coleman’s strength is his wrestling and his “Ground’n’Pound” tactics. His positional control is how he originally made his name in the sport and it is still what he does best. His striking, especially his knees, may have improved a little and he keeps his submissions basic; neck cranks and smothering tactics. A weakness at this point in his career may be the combination of stamina and age. Mark turns 40 this year and has fought just once in 3 years.
How He Can Beat Emelianenko: By getting off first and setting the pace. If Mark can avoid the early barrage of the Russian fighter and engage him at his own speed, he may be able to time his attack and punish Fedor. The Russian has been rocked in the ring from heavy strikes so maybe “The Hammer” has one last beatdown left in him.
MY PICK: Fedor. I don’t expect it to be easy the way a lot of people do. Mark hasn’t fought in 10 months so we don’t know what to expect from him. His conditioning is key. If he has that familiar “I am wiped out” look on his face five minutes into the match, we know his career is over. However, he’s a phenomenal wrestler and if he is able to get Fedor down, control him and deliver knees to the head ala Vovchanchyn, we may see the upset. He may also try to cut Fedor and get a stoppage that way. I don’t expect to see it happen though especially given the fact Emelianenko patterned his style after Coleman. What better way to solidify your greatness than to break “mentor” en route to winning the tournament? I feel it will be Fedor by TKO from strikes late in the 2nd Rd.
EMELIANENKO FEDOR: Russian Sambo practitioner, Master of Sport in Judo, Master of Sport in Self-Defense, 1997 Russian National Judo Champion, 1998 Moscow International Self-Defense Gold Medallist, 1998 Moscow Judo Bronze Medallist (stove), 1998 Russian Self-Defense Bronze Medallist (Kaliningrad), 1998 Russian Armed Forces Championship Gold Medallist (Heavyweight Div),1998 Russian Armed Forces Championship Silver Medallist (Absolute Div), 1999 Russian Self-Defense Champion, 1999 Moscow International Self-Defense Championships Bronze Medallist, 1999 Self-Defense Team Championship of Europe Gold Medallist, 2000 Russian Self-Defense Championships Bronze Medallist, 2001 World Wrestling Heavyweight Record Holder, 2002 Russian Self-Defense Heavyweight Champion, 2002 Russian Team Self-Defense Gold Medallist (team captain), 2002 International Self-Defense World Champion (Absolute Div), 2002 World Sambo Heavyweight Championship Silver Medallist, RINGS 2001 World Title Series Heavy Weight Class Champion, RINGS 2002 World Title Series Absolute Weight Class Champion, current Pride Fighting Championships Heavyweight Champion, trained with Andrei Kopylov, Iouri Kotchkine, Mikhail Illoukhine, Volk Han and the rest of the Russian Top Team, has recently been training with Gilbert Yvel, Alistair Overeem, Ernesto Hoost and coach Lucian Calvin in Holland and is currently a member of the Red Devil Fight Club, with a 23-1 record in MMA, making his 6th appearance (5-0) in the ring of the PFC
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Emelianenko Fedor is the oldest of three brothers. He began training judo and self-defense and began training under Gavrilov V.I. in St. Oskol, Belogorod. He continued to train under Voronov V.M. and entered college in 1991 and graduated with a red diploma in 1994. He served in the Russian Army from 1995 to 1997 and earned both Master of Sport in Self-Defense and Master of Sport in Judo titles in ’97. Fedor would continue to excel in tournament competition, winning championships in judo and self-defense on a yearly basis. He began fighting professionally in 2000 and training with Michkov A.V. to work on his striking. Fedor spent time fighting in Russia (8 bouts there, 8-0) and competing in sport grappling competitions before making the transition to MMA. He began participating in RINGS events in 2000, winning the absolute weight class tournament in 2002 and moving on to Pride the later the same year. He won the PFC heavyweight tile in May of 2003 and was dethroned later that year due to his inability to defend his title because of injuries suffered in competition and training. Below are a number of Fedor’s most significant contests.
Fedor/Ricardo Arona: The Arona fight was the first time I had seen Fedor. I had already seen Ricardo beat Jeremy Horn and school some other RINGS veterans. Then Fedor shows up and totally frustrates him. I have to say if the bout had been under the more open-rules of the PFC or UFC, Fedor would’ve KO’d Arona. Either Ricardo had an off night or Fedor’s wrestling is just that good. I specifically counted the takedowns Ricardo had against Fedor. He had two. Not in the first round, or in each round. He had two in the entire 15 minute fight. Emelianenko showed solid ability and took a unanimous decision victory.
Fedor/Tsuyoshi Kohsaka: The “loss” to TK was a fluke. At the
opening bell they both threw strikes and TK caught him with a
forearm/tip of elbow to the temple and it opened him up. Given the
opportunity Fedor would’ve killed TK and advanced to face Randy
Couture (not the same night, two months later). Couture lost to
Valentijn Overeem and Overeem lost to tournament winner Nogueira.
Had Fedor gotten past Kohsaka, he may have gone all the way to the
title round. But we’ll never know for sure.
Fedor/Kerry Schall: One of the better fights to judge his abilities was against Kerry “Meat Truck” Schall in the first RINGS World Title Series event. Schall is about 3 inches taller and nearly 45 lbs heavier than Fedor. In his pre-fight interview Schall say he was going to stand and trade with the Russian and he felt Fedor couldn’t handle his power. That little plan fell apart when Kerry ate two solid rights and two 1-2 combinations at the opening bell. He gets powered to the ground and Fedor applies an armbar. To his credit Schall is able to roll out of it and gets back to his feet. Another impressive display of Fedor’s punching power sends Schall into the ropes and again he is muscled back to the floor. After toying with him, Fedor slapped on another armbar that simultaneously chokes Schall and Kerry’s RINGS experience was over.
Fedor/Heath Herring: From the opening bell, Emelianenko Fedor owned Heath Herring. Watching Herring, who we’re used to seeing in the “dominator” role, was getting hammered. Even when Herring tried to get back to his feet, Fedor was there to pound his face. At the break between rounds the corner was forced to stop the match because Heath had sustained so much facial damage.
Fedor/Rodrigo Nogueira: Fedor operated in a calm, cool manner against the PFC heavyweight champion who was 7-0 in Pride to that point had submitted 5 of his victims. Emelianenko couldn’t care less. It went the distance but Nogueira was beaten. There was no question as he dropped to his knees in his corner from a combination of exhaustion and disgust and the PFC heavyweight title was no longer his.
Fedor/Kazuyuki Fujita: Fujita had a puncher’s chance of finishing Fedor but the bout went pretty much the way most felt it would with Fedor stopping the Inoki-inspired grappler in the first round. Emelianenko showed the true heart of a champion when he quickly recovered from being stunned by a strike from Fujita. The Russian was able to clear his head, attack a weakness and finish Kazuyuki on the mat with a punishing rear choke.
Fedor/Gary Goodridge: No real surprises here. Fedor unloads from the bell but most are deflected by Gary. He follows with knees to the body and a takedown, allowing Emelianenko to land in the guard of Goodridge. Fedor lands numerous rights and then kicks to the head which Gary had no answer for. The champion stands over Goodridge, punching him in the face and the ref calls a stop to the bout early in the first round.
Also worthy of note: Fedor battled Renato “Bablu” Sobral (won/decision), Ryushi Yanagisawa (won/decision), Christopher Haseman (won/TKO), Semmy Schilt (win/decision) and Yugi Nagata (win/TKO)
Strengths And Weaknesses:
Few fighters generate the power Fedor does in his Ground’n’Pound tactics on the mat. He is devastating. Emelianenko had absolutely no problem dealing with a larger fighter’s weight as exhibited in the Goodridge and Schall fights. He has nice transitions too. He’s not afraid to give up on a technique if it doesn’t feel right. Fedor’s thick Russian frame also allows him to apply what appears to be a devastating guillotine choke hold. His weakness is he may be a bleeder. If he gets cut like it did with Kohsaka, it could cause a stoppage. Emelianenko also needs to go in for the kill and finish his opponents. He has a tendency to prolong his beatings and it puts unnecessary stress on and damage to his own body. This is the opening round of a tournament so the quicker, the better.
How He Can Beat Coleman:
By sticking to his aggressive style and setting the pace. If he brings the fight right to Coleman, doesn’t allow himself to be taken down and pushes Coleman like he did with Goodridge, Emelianenko could have a quick first round KO and save himself for the next event.
MARK COLEMAN: American wrestler, two-time state high school wrestling champion, one-time runner up state high school wrestling champion, two-time Mid American College Wrestling Champion, placed 4th in Division One Final, 1991 Pan Ams Gold Medallist, 1991 United States National Freestyle Champion, 1991 World Championships Silver Medallist, 1992 Olympic Team Member (placed 7th), 1995 Sunkist Open veteran (defeated Kurt Angle), 2-time UFC tournament champion, former undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, 2000 Pride Grand Prix Tournament Champion, trains with Kevin Randleman, Brandon Lee Hinkle and Wes Sims and other members of the Hammer House
Abbreviated Fight History:
Mark grew up in Fremont, Ohio near Columbus. He played baseball, football and of course wrestled all through high school. He wanted to play football and was an all-state middle linebacker at St. Joseph High School but he was not recruited by a Division One school. He took a baseball scholarship at Miami of Ohio but quickly focused on wrestling and excelled there becoming a two-time Mid American College Wrestling Champion and placing 4th in the Division One Final as a junior. As a senior he transferred to Ohio State and graduated with a degree in education. From there he set his sights on becoming an Olympic champion. Mark continued to accumulate wins and made the Olympic team in 1992. He competed with disappointing results and placed 7th. A discouraged Coleman continued to compete and even beat Kurt Angle at the 1995 Sunkist Open. In his ’96 Olympic run, he made it to the semi-finals but fell short and his MMA fighting career began shortly thereafter. Coleman won the UFC 10 and 11 tournaments and captured the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 12 submitting Dan “The Beast” Severn. His luck went south from there, losing 4 fights in a row including the monumental bout with kickboxer Maurice Smith and the KO loss to Lion’s Den fighter Pete Williams. Coleman returned to his winning ways at Pride 8 beating Brazilian giant Ricardo Morais. The win earned Mark an invitation to the first Pride Grand Prix in 2000. A combination of skill and a soft bracket allowed Coleman to run the tables and advance to the final to face Ukrainian nightmare Igor Vovchanchyn. Mark defeated the super striker with knees to the head and captured the title. He has fought 3 times in 4 years, losing to former PFC Heavyweight Champion Rodrigo Nogueira and defeating Don Frye a rematch 7 years after their initial meeting.
Coleman/Don Frye: Everyone knows these two have met twice but the UFC bout was the more groundbreaking and. Frye was also 30 pounds lighter than Coleman in the first bout and those who have read No Holds Barred: Evolution know all about the Richard Hamilton controversy about this match. If you haven’t read it, read it. At UFC 10, Coleman was able to ground Frye immediately and open Don up less than two minutes into the match. They got back to the feet four and half minutes in but “The Hammer” brought it right back to the mat and took Frye’s back. There was a break 6 minutes in to look at Frye’s eye but they started again in the center. Coleman eventually took him to the mat and controlled him there. Frye was able to get back to his feet but Coleman made him pay standing and finished him on the canvas with strikes at 11:36 of the first round. Coleman also won the rematch at Pride 26 by decision.
Coleman/Maurice Smith: This was the legendary “striker beats grappler” bout. All the pre-fight hype on this one was great, especially Mo saying Coleman “punches like a girl”. Them’s fightin’ word hombre. Mark played his game (which at that time included head butts) but Maurice employed his Lion’s Den training and hung tough. Eleven minutes in Coleman started to gas and it was Smith who was dictating the pace. In overtime, it was all Smith and it took every ounce of Coleman’s strength to simply stand up. Maurice became the UFC Heavyweight Champion as a huge underdog. It was a true classic match in the sport of MMA.
Coleman/Pete Williams: The rumor was Coleman had evolved as a fighter and was re-energized to compete. A 22-year old kid named Petey Williams was making his octagon debut. This was the first time Coleman couldn’t use his beloved headbutts in the cage so his game was forced to evolve. Coleman brought it to the mat early and it looked like Williams was in trouble but a near armbar submission from the youngster made it interesting. They stayed grounded with Williams avoiding serious punishment. They stand midway through the 1st and Coleman tags Williams in the head but his energy slowly seeps out of him. “The Hammer” blasts Williams from behind while Pete is facing the cage and he looks like he is going out. Pete eventually fires back but it is back on the mat for Coleman. They go to overtime and Williams comes out very aggressive, pounding Coleman with combinations and forcing him to shoot. The action was met with a knee to the face and Mark looks rocked. A big right roundhouse kick to the face drops Coleman to the mat and Williams’ debut becomes something MMA dreams are made of.
Coleman/Pedro Rizzo: This bout was part of the “Road To The Heavyweight Championship” tournament that ran from UFC 18 to UFC 20 and featured fighters Coleman and Rizzo as well as Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Bas Rutten, Kevin Randleman and Maurice Smith. At this time Mark was working with Ken Shamrock and the Lion’s Den. He got the early takedown on Pedro and worked the fight to the side of the cage. Although he was striking well in Pedro’s guard and there were new wrinkles in his game, the overall style and method was the same. Rizzo was very passive and Coleman was out striking due to Pedro’s passiveness. When Pedro started to heat up, Mark would jab or rush him and throw his game off. Coleman scored another takedown and pounded away until they were stood up. Mark looked drained and the set up was there for Rizzo to do the same thing Williams did 7 months earlier. In the overtime Pedro stayed busy and had his moments but he waited and waited and waited and the opportunity to finish him passed right by. Somehow, Rizzo won a split decision but he would not advance to face Bas Rutten because he and Rutten were friends and training partners. We never saw a Coleman/Rutten bout. What a waste.
Coleman/Ricardo Morais: This was Coleman’s first real fight in Pride. The story behind Mark’s “performance” with Nobuhiko Takada at Pride 5 is well documented. Here he faced 6’8 Ricardo “The Mutant” Morais. After a lengthy feeling out process, Coleman got the takedown and they fought from inside Morais’ guard. Mark kept them in the corner and tried a neck crank but he couldn’t seem to do much with the giant, even from side mount. Ricardo got back to his feet, flailed away and connected with a few shots but he was taken back to the canvas by Mark. Coleman kept the bout grounded for the rest of the round but neither fighter did much damage. The overtime round started with a quick takedown by Coleman and an attempted neck crank from the side mount. This and subsequent neck cranks didn’t work but he controlled from the top and was active throughout the match. He easily won a decision victory.
Coleman/Igor Vovchanchyn: In the final bout of the 2001 GP, Coleman faced the most feared striker in the PFC; Igor Vovchanchyn. Coleman’s road to the title round was an easier one (with semi-final opponent Kazuyuki Fujita pulling out of the tourney) than Igor’s but hey, he came to fight who they put in front of him so you can’t knock him for that. In the final bout Coleman got the early takedown and the entire round was spent keeping Vovchanchyn grounded and immobile. Mark applied a keylock late in the round but he couldn’t get Igor to tap and that was all the true offense in the first round. In the second round, an exhausted Vovchanchyn tried to keep it on the feet but “The Hammer” dropped him to the mat and pounded out the win with knees to the head at 3:09 of the second round.
Coleman/Rodrigo Nogueira: Coleman was back in the ring fighting a bout originally scheduled to be the headliner at Pride 15 but the match was postponed due to an injury to Mark suffered in a Japanese pro wrestling match. He faced then RINGS King of Kings 2000 tournament champion Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in Rodrigo’s second PFC match. From the bell they exchanged in the corner and Nogueira’s striking looked solid. His knees, elbows and uppercuts in tight did serious damage to “The Hammer”. A slip on a high kick put Nogueira on the mat with Coleman in his guard. After several minutes on the mat Nogueira armbarred Coleman who obviously wasn’t at 100%. “Minotauro” went on to superstardom n his second Japanese MMA promotion.
Also worthy of note: Coleman battled Moti Horenstein (win/TKO), Gary Goodridge (win/submission), (Brian Johnston (win/submission), Dan Severn (win/submission), Masaaki Satake (win/submission), Akira Shoji (win/decision), Kazuyuki Fujita (win/TKO) and Allan Goes (win/KO)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Coleman’s strength is his wrestling and his “Ground’n’Pound” tactics. His positional control is how he originally made his name in the sport and it is still what he does best. His striking, especially his knees, may have improved a little and he keeps his submissions basic; neck cranks and smothering tactics. A weakness at this point in his career may be the combination of stamina and age. Mark turns 40 this year and has fought just once in 3 years.
How He Can Beat Emelianenko: By getting off first and setting the pace. If Mark can avoid the early barrage of the Russian fighter and engage him at his own speed, he may be able to time his attack and punish Fedor. The Russian has been rocked in the ring from heavy strikes so maybe “The Hammer” has one last beatdown left in him.
MY PICK: Fedor. I don’t expect it to be easy the way a lot of people do. Mark hasn’t fought in 10 months so we don’t know what to expect from him. His conditioning is key. If he has that familiar “I am wiped out” look on his face five minutes into the match, we know his career is over. However, he’s a phenomenal wrestler and if he is able to get Fedor down, control him and deliver knees to the head ala Vovchanchyn, we may see the upset. He may also try to cut Fedor and get a stoppage that way. I don’t expect to see it happen though especially given the fact Emelianenko patterned his style after Coleman. What better way to solidify your greatness than to break “mentor” en route to winning the tournament? I feel it will be Fedor by TKO from strikes late in the 2nd Rd.
