Mark Coleman “The Hammer is ready for The Natural”

By Dave Carpinello

On February 6th, 2010, for the first time in UFC history, two UFC Hall of Famers will meet in the octagon in a light-heavyweight match up at UFC 109 “Relentless”. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix Champion, Mark “The Hammer” Coleman recently talked with PDG about his upcoming fight, training in Las Vegas, injuries and Bob Shamrock!

PDG: In a recent interview on PDG, Randy Couture talked about how you beat him in a wrestling match some years back so he has been looking forward to this rematch for a long time.

Mark Coleman: Yeah it was back in 1989 and I remember it pretty clearly because he head-butted me in the chin and I ended up having to get stitches after the match.  So I guess I'll have to get in a head-butt this time around.

PDG: The turning point for you at this stage in your career came at UFC 100 when you were a big underdog going into your fight against Stephan Bonnar; you controlled the entire fight and took the unanimous decision victory.  What did that do for your confidence overall and how you're feeling now going into your fight against Couture?

Mark Coleman: It was definitely a much-needed win and it certainly helped improve my confidence because when you lose a couple of fights in a row sometimes your mind can get used to losing.  The same goes for winning though and I got the win in that fight, so my confidence is high going into UFC 109.  I have had a great training camp and this is going to be one hell of a fight because he is one of the best ever in my opinion and he is very mentally tough; which is one of the most important things in this sport and I actually think that is his best attribute.  But like I said I've had a great training camp and I fully expect to win this fight.

PDG: Let's talk about your training camp; Shawn Tompkins left X-Treme Couture and is now coaching at the TapOut Training Center in Las Vegas where you are training.  How nice has it been to be able to have those resources available to you during your current training camp?

Mark Coleman: That is why I came to Las Vegas to train because Vegas is the mixed martial arts training capital.  It is the home of more mixed martial artists than anywhere else in the US and I would have to say the least 30% of all professional fighters train here in Vegas.  Like I said that is why I came out here so that I could surround myself with professional athletes and people that have the same goals in their careers as I do.  It has been excellent out here and it really helps for me to get away from all the distractions that I would have had if I would have stayed in Columbus, Ohio.  Since I got here, when I am not at the gym training I come back to my hotel room and close the curtains and just concentrate on this fight....it is almost like my cave.  For the last 50 days I go from my hotel room to the gym and then from the gym to my hotel room, I even had to cancel Christmas this year.  I will celebrate Christmas with my kids when this fight is over but for right now it's all about taking care of business. 

PDG: How important was it for your fighting career to make the decision to move your training camp to Las Vegas?

Mark Coleman: I will always call Columbus, Ohio my home and I will never move away from my kids but when I need to train for a fight, I know this is the place I need to be.  It was absolutely critical and I wouldn't have beaten Bonnar and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to fight Couture had I not made that decision.  Had I stayed in Columbus I would've had a lack of coaching, a lack of training partners and many other distractions that would have hampered my training.

PDG: One of your daughters was in Vegas this past weekend for a gymnastics tournament; how important was it for you to be able to hang out with her and take a little bit of a break from your training schedule?

Mark Coleman: It was very coincidental and fortunate that it worked out that way because her gymnastics team always takes one long road trip per year and it just happened that it was now and the trip was to Vegas.  It meant the world to me to be able to see my daughter compete and to be able to hang out with her for a little bit.  It was truly a great weekend and I could tell that she misses me and it was really hard to say goodbye to her but I got three short weeks left before the fight and then after that I will be able to go home and take care of both of my daughters.  They are my life and they mean everything in the world to me.  Looking back I probably should have made the move to Vegas long before I did but I will never regret the decisions that I made because I was able to watch both of my daughters grow up.  When I am in Columbus, one of the most peaceful times of my life is when I go to lunch with my daughter and hang out with her and her friends.  It is one of the most enjoyable times of my life and one of the things I've sacrificed by being in Vegas but in order to achieve my career goals, sacrifices have to be made.

PDG: Going back to your fight; this is going to be the first match up of two members of the UFC Hall of Fame.  Are you looking at this as just another fight in your career or does it take on special meaning because of all the surrounding aspects?

Mark Coleman: It's hard not to look at the bigger aspect of this fight, especially being out here in Vegas and I'm driving to practice and I see the billboards and the signs at Mandalay Bay with our pictures on them.  I have been in some big fights in my career but I believe that this is the biggest fight I have ever been in.  I realize how big of a fight this is and how important it is to my career.  For me this fight couldn't be any bigger and I need to come out with the victory.

PDG: At the recent UFC Ultimate Fight Night; Joe Rogan was interviewing Randy Couture and said that the winner of your guys' fight could be in line for a title shot in the light heavyweight division.  What are your thoughts on those comments?

Mark Coleman: I think that's great and it is music to my ears.  That is a wonderful idea and the reason I am still fighting.  I am not doing what I do just to be in the game, I am fighting to win and I am fighting to be a champion again.  I believe that if I put in the time and effort into my training that I can compete with anybody in the 205 pound division.

PDG: Now that you have officially moved your training camps in Las Vegas, what is the state of Hammer House?

Mark Coleman: Hammer House is going to be around forever.  I am the leader of Hammer House but obviously I am concentrating on my fight career right now.  It won't be too long though down the road until there is a nice facility and gym in Columbus, Ohio.  I will be running it and I will be there to create and train future champions.  Ohio is the capital of the wrestling world and there is all kinds of talent and young studs there that are looking for a place to train.  That is one of my goals and it is getting closer and someday there will be a real nice facility in Columbus where I am the head trainer.  Right now though it is about my career and I am squeezing out whatever I have left in me.  My boxing trainer told me the other day that “I train like a baby, like a 20 year old still” and to be honest my body does feel great, I've had no injuries of late and I am not banged up and I am ready to go.  I'm almost too light, I am weighing in at about 217 pounds right now and I have had to increase my calorie intake to offset what I have spent in my workouts.  I feel that if I can keep up this pace of training and stay away from the injuries I could go another three or four years in this business.  I just need to keep my foot on the gas pedal; train hard and the rest will work itself out.

PDG: There has been mention that injuries were taking their toll on you but it almost seems like a blessing in disguise; instead of fighting someone that has been out of the game for 18 months, you are headlining UFC 109 against Randy Couture.

Mark Coleman: That is exactly what this sport is all about and sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time.  When I was hurt and couldn’t fight Tito Ortiz I was devastated because at the time I felt that nothing could match the magnitude of that fight.  I had no idea what was waiting in the wings and I certainly didn't anticipate fighting Randy Couture but yes in hindsight it was definitely a blessing in disguise and in my mind and that of most of the fans this is definitely a bigger fight than one with Tito Ortiz but I still wouldn't mind getting a piece of that douche bag when the time comes.

PDG: With as many injuries and illnesses that have knocked fighters off cards as of late, are you taking any precautions during this training camp to ensure that you make it to the fight 100% healthy?

Mark Coleman: I have been told by certain people several times leading up to this fight that I better not get hurt and I know how big this fight is and I cannot afford to suffer any kind of injury that would put the fight in jeopardy.  I am training harder but I am definitely training smarter and when I am sparring or wrestling, I make sure that I am doing it with somebody that I trust.  When I got injured before I was supposed to fight Brock Lesnar, I was sparring a non-wrestler and then when I got injured before the Tito Ortiz fight I was wrestling with a jui-jitsu guy, who definitely pulled a pretty stupid move on me.  Both of the injuries were freak injuries that could have been avoided but I wasn't smart about it.  It is definitely harder to train under these conditions at this point in my career and with the magnitude of this fight I can't afford any stupid mistakes by my training partners that could injury me.  I have to be on my toes and keep my guard up at all times during training.  Injuries can happen in any sport and so the harder I train the smarter I have to train.  Don't get me wrong I am still doing my sparring and my wrestling training but there has been a big emphasis on my cardio training during this training camp.  My new cardio trainer Josh Burns has me on a high tech cardio training program that has really benefited me.  It's pretty new and unique training material and I wish that I had him in my camp a long time ago.

PDG: So when Kevin Randleman was joking around about the fact that you better get a bike to train for this fight; you took his advice?

Mark Coleman: I definitely didn't get the advice from Randleman; I got the advice from myself.  Nobody had to tell me that I needed to pick up my cardio training.  It's definitely not something that I learned from Kevin Randleman.  I knew it was going to be very critical going into this fight because everybody knows that Randy Couture has a full tank of gas and that is one of the things that makes him so mentally tough is that he knows he has excellent cardio.  Being winded in a fight can turn you into a coward and so I have been working as hard as I can to get my cardio up to a higher level because when I get into that cage in a couple of weeks I don't want to be a coward.

PDG: So only a couple weeks out until the fight; what kind of training schedule are you going to maintain from now until the fight?

Mark Coleman: So far this week has involved the toughest days of my training camp so far and there is no letdown in sight.  It's time to turn it up a notch and I still have time to improve and get in a little bit better shape but that's not going to be a problem because my trainers have a full schedule set for me.  I'm going to train extremely hard the rest of this week and going into next week and then I will start to taper it off a little bit the week of the fight.  But for right now I have a full slate scheduled for the next 10 days.

PDG: Overall, UFC 109 is a pretty exciting card on paper; are you looking forward to any of the other fights on the card?

Mark Coleman: At this point, all I care about is my fight but after that is over I am sure I will go back and watch the other fights on the card.

PDG: Last week Bob Shamrock passed away, in your career you have had a lot of interactions with Frank and Ken; what are your thoughts on the passing of their adoptive father?

Mark Coleman: I'm actually really good friends with Frank and I get along real well with Ken, we have a lot of mutual respect for each other since we got started in the sport around the same time.  I love those guys and my deepest condolences go out to their entire family and I wish them the best going forward and it was definitely a good man that passed away.  My prayers are with them.

PDG: Ok, so what can the fans of the “Godfather of Ground ‘n Pound” expect on February 6th?

Mark Coleman: I have always fought for my fans and I love every one of them, I truly do appreciate all of their support and I have gotten an unbelievable amount of messages wishing me good luck in this fight.  So I truly want to go out there and reward those fans with a great performance because besides my family those fans are just as important to me as anything else.  I don't like letting people down and I certainly don't want to let my fans down.  Especially the ones that got a little cash on me.

PDG: Thanks as always Mark; I know you want to think some sponsors and good luck on February 6th.

Mark Coleman: Thanks Dave, I want to thank Cage Fighter and MMA Elite because if it wasn't for them this training camp would have been very hard to do.  They helped strain the costs of this very expensive camp and Cage fighter has been with me for a very long time and I thank them, love them and appreciate their support.  I also need to thank MMA Warehouse and Muscle Pharm who have come on as sponsors.  Sponsors are always greatly appreciated and it would be hard for most fighters to stay in this business without them.

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