-Contributor: Benjamin Kohn
(This is the second installment of Ben Kohn’s series on Mark Coleman in light of his recent surgery needs. You can read Part I here and Part II here.)
One of the biggest fights to date in the fledgling sport of MMA was about to take place. UFC 12 Judgment Day was to hold a Heavyweight title match between the two most decorated wrestlers to fight in the UFC at the time, Dan Severn and Mark Coleman. These two men were the original wrestling powerhouses of MMA world, specifically Severn. Let me give you a brief rundown of Severn’s career to convey the significance of this bout.
Dan Severn made his MMA debut at UFC 4 against the much smaller Anthony Macias at the age of 35. Severn was the most decorated wrestler at the time to enter the UFC. He was a 3 time Olympic alternate in 1982, 84, and 88. He won 13 National AAU wrestling championships between the years 1982-1994 and was a Canada Cup Gold Medalist in 1985. He was also a member of the ASU wrestling Hall of Fame. However, the one thing he had not been in was an actual fight that allowed striking. His debut however showed that mattered little as he tossed Macias around like a rag doll suplexing him all over the place before locking in a RNC to get the tapout. The bout lasted 1:45 and it was an eye opener to the UFC crowd and commentators. His next fight against Marcus Bosset was even shorter as he locked up an arm triangle submission in 52 seconds. His next fight for the tournament championship against Royce Gracie was an epic display of heart and skill by both of these men. The bout actually was cut off by the PPV time limit and the last thing people watching at home saw was Dan Severn on top beating on Royce Gracie. 
However, the bout ended at the 15:49 mark when Royce was able to lock in a triangle choke and elicit a tap from Severn. Dan had given Royce his toughest fight to date and Ken Shamrock actually used a similar gameplan in his rematch with Royce at UFC 5. Dan’s success continued winning the UFC 5 tournament, the Ultimate Ultimate 1995 tournament as well as avenging his loss to Ken Shamrock at UFC 6 by defeating him at UFC 9 by split decision winning the UFC Superfight Championship. Before meeting Coleman at UFC 12, Dan fought in other organizations racking up 5 more wins. He entered his bout against Coleman with a stellar record for the time at 14-2. The stage was set for the biggest Heavyweight showdown yet and the outcome would change the face of MMA.
Mark Coleman entered the Octagon very fired up. He slimmed down a little bit since his previous bouts weighing 240 pounds while Severn came in the heavier man at 260 pounds. Coleman was 6 years younger than Severn at 32 years old but his experience was solely from his 5 UFC bouts. Neither fighter wore gloves although Mark did have his hands taped. Big John started the fight and the excitement was palpable in the air. Although both are purely wrestlers, from their fighting stances, it seemed that Mark was much more comfortable with striking than Dan was. Mark pumped out a few jabs before Dan shot in for a double leg. Mark sprawled and got a strong front headlock. Dan stood up to try and break Mark’s grip on his neck and indeed was able to. After a brief separation, Mark closed the distance and threw winging shots. Dan avoided them and attempted to clinch to avoid more punches but Coleman shucked him off like nothing and landed a hard right hand on Dan’s chin. Dan backed off and really didn’t like the standup. Coleman continued to follow Severn and popped him with a stiff jab. After this Dan shot in for a telegraphed takedown that Mark easily stuffed. Oddly 
enough, it looked like Dan pulled guard for some reason I cannot fathom. After a brief scramble in which Mark achieved mount, Mark ended up riding Dan’s back at the 46 second mark. Mark completely controlled Dan in this position landed a steady flow of hard punches to Dan’s head. Eventually, Dan was tired of getting pounded on and tried to roll back to guard but Mark ended up in the full mount again. Dan grabbed a hold behind Mark’s head and held on for dear life. Mark landed a few body shots before switching to side control, a position he seems to favor a lot. Mark immediately tried to get a neck crank going and the strain of him squeezing was evident on his face. Dan survived and Mark stopped the squeeze in order to not burn himself out. After recomposing himself for about 10 seconds, he once again began to squeeze with all his might. Dan clearly was desperate to get out of it and started hitting Mark in the head and actually put his fingers in his eyes as well. This time however it was too much for him to take. At the 2:56 mark, Dan Severn tapped out and the fight was over. 
Mark’s celebration was definitely…amped up to say the least. Many people remember Mark’s amazing celebration after winning the Pride GP but his celebration here is almost similar in that regard. Mark jumped up and was yelling, punching the air, and ran to the Octagon fence half jumping on and half running at the fence. He began running around the ring roaring like a caged lion. The raw emotion he exudes leaves me awestruck. He truly had a fire burning inside him that could only be quenched by fighting and he sure as hell made the most of it. Yet even with the adrenaline and emotions running rampant through his body, Mark still was able to show his respect and sportsmanship to Dan shaking his hand and hugging him. This fight officially crowned Mark Coleman as the best fighter in the world at the time. At 6-0 and a 3 time champion, he seemed completely unbeatable. In the next series of Mark Coleman articles, I will revisit Mark Coleman’s first taste of failure in MMA in his very first title defense against Maurice Smith. That fight would be the beginning of a dark road in Mark’s career. For now though, let us enjoy remembering the early successes of Mark and applaud a living legend of MMA.
-Ben can be reached at [email protected]
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