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UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman is reportedly "battling for his life" after saving his parents and going back to get his beloved dog, Hammer, from a house fire in Ohio earlier this week, his daughter, Morgan, revealed in a post shared on her Instagram account Tuesday (March 12).
"As many know, our dad was involved in a house fire early this morning along with his parents and beloved dog, hammer. He managed to get both of his parents out of the house but despite his best efforts was not able to save Hammer. He was life-flighted to the hospital where he is currently battling for his life after this heroic act," Morgan wrote. "Our father has always been our hero and means the world to us. He is and always will be a fighter. The strongest snd bravest man I know. Please continue to pray for him and our family during this extremely difficult time. We will miss our sweet hammer so deeply.
"Thank you for all the love and support. Hammer house for life."
Coleman's mother, Connie, also shared a post on Facebook stating, "Thank God we are alive" ubt asking for "prayers for Mark."
UFC writer Jonathan Snowden shared photos of the apparent damage to Coleman's home on his X account Tuesday.
"This is what's left of the house Mark Coleman and his family were in last night. Mark's dog Hammer woke him up to a house in flames. He saved both his parents and is fighting for his life," Snowden wrote.
Coleman, 55, was UFC's inaugural heavyweight champion, defeating Dan Severn to unify it with the UFC Superfight Championship at the 'UFC 12' event in February 1997. The Ohio native went 16-10 with seven wins by knockout, five by submission and four by decision in 26 professional MMA fights and was the fifth fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2008.
Coleman also won an NCAA national champion wrestler at Ohio State in 1988 and represented the United States in the 1992 Summer Barcelona Olympic Games as an amateur wrestler prior to his MMA career. Morgan Coleman launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for her father's medical expenses, which raised more than half of its $50,000 goal as of Wednesday (March 13) afternoon.