Former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman
is recovering in a hospital after suffering a heart attack last
week.
The news was first shared by MMA documentarian Will Harris, who
shared a screenshot from the Instagram story of Coleman’s daughter,
Morgan.
“Thank you for all the kind words and support,” Morgan wrote.
“[Coleman] is recovering well from his heart attack but still has
more test to be done.”
Prayers for the legend @Markcolemanmma
, who is recovering from a heart attack Recover like the beast you
are brotha. Keep your thoughts on him MMA family.
#UFCVegas13 pic.twitter.com/itv6id2G6T— Anatomy of a Fighter (@WillHarrisAOAF)
November 8, 2020
Coleman later issued a statement from his own Instagram account in
which he shared that he drove to the hospital after feeling
tightness in his chest and numbness in his arms. It was then
discovered that Coleman had blockage in an artery and will need to
undergo a procedure to have a stent inserted to clear the blockage
on Monday.
“I hadn’t been feeling so well for quite some time. Something hit
pretty hard Tuesday about 7 p.m., chest locked up, my arms went
numb — sounds pretty obvious but I didn’t want to believe,” Coleman
wrote. “I walked around and laid down for about six hours it didn’t
get better. I texted my daughters I didn’t want to go, [but it]
wasn’t fair to them so I grabbed my keys made it to the hospital
for sure there was nothing wrong.
“But yes, there was complete blockage of a major artery. If I don’t
go, I’m probably not here today. I’m so glad I went, I have so many
things I want to do. Tomorrow they will try to break through the
artery and put a stent in. For the first time in a long time I am
motivated. I am [grateful] and appreciate all your support. It
wasn’t my time, it’s time to live.”
Coleman, 55, was an NCAA wrestling national champion at Ohio State
University, the UFC’s first heavyweight champion and Pride Fighting
Championships’ 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix Champion. He was
inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2008. Coleman compiled a
16-10 record in MMA, besting the likes of Stephan
Bonnar, Mauricio
Rua, Don
Frye, Igor
Vovchanchyn, Dan Severn and
Gary Goodrige.