Ex-UFC Champ Mark Coleman Seeking Donations for Hip Surgery

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Mark Coleman isn’t doing so well. The former UFC heavyweight champion is currently hospitalized facing hip surgery and is seeking donations via gofundme.com to help with medical and living expenses.

According to a post on the site, which is entitled “Save The Hammer,” Coleman underwent hip replacement surgery in 2013, but the hip popped out several times following a coaching stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 19.” Coleman began feeling pain on the other hip and was scheduled to have surgery on March 9 until an infection was discovered.

As of now, Coleman is hospitalized with a plastic hip until his scheduled surgery can be performed in April. The full post detailing the UFC veteran’s plight on gofundme.com is as follows:

First UFC Heavyweight Champion, Hall of Famer and "The God Father of Ground and Pound" Mark "The Hammer" Coleman's retirement from the sport he loved and gave us so many memories has not been very kind to him as of yet. Mark had a hip replacement in 2013 and after surgery was named Wrestling Coach for Team Penn on Season 19 The Ultimate Fighter. After filming and returning home his hip popped out several times and pain began on the other side. He has struggled and lived with the pain for well over a year and became sick a couple weeks ago. He was taken to hospital where a doctor checked him out and had to stay for four days on antibiotics, when released he went to see hip doctor again and scheduled to have surgery on March 9th, only to discover while open on operating table he was full of infection and very close to being septic and lucky to have caught this! He is currently hospitalized with a plastic hip until full surgery can be perofrmed in April. Mark currently has no income. His insurance is about to end, and we are currently looking into disability. I am looking to raise funds to help his cost of living, doctor bills, medication, and make up what he will lose in the next few months in appearances he will miss. Anything will help and thank you dearly! God Bless!

A former NCAA national champion wrestler at Ohio State University, Coleman became the UFC’s first heavyweight champion by defeating Dan Severn at UFC 12. He also notably became Pride Fighting Championships’ open weight grand prix champion in 2000 with wins over Masake Satake, Akira Shoji, Kazuyuki Fujita and Igor Vovchanchyn. He was elected to the UFC’s Hall of Fame in 2008 and last competed on Feb. 6, 2010, falling to Randy Couture at UFC 109.