FREMONT, Ohio — Retired mixed martial artist Mark Coleman was hospitalized for smoke inhalation early Tuesday morning after sheriff's deputies responding to a fire at his parents' Ohio home found the UFC Hall of Fame inductee partially covered in black soot and having difficulty breathing, according to an incident report.
Coleman, 59, first rescued his parents, Connie and Daniel, from the house fire that began around 4 a.m. on Tuesday. He then went back in to rescue the family dog, named Hammer, which ultimately died in the fire.
According to the report, a deputy arrived and saw Coleman and his parents "standing in the heavy smoke" outside of the Fremont, Ohio, home. The deputy yelled at them to move further away from the home and noticed that Coleman "was not in good shape."
"Mark's face and hands were covered in black soot," the report reads. "He was coughing and having trouble breathing. I had them start moving towards the road. When EMS came on the scene, I advised them that Mark was not doing well. They took him to the ambulance."
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Coleman's daughter, Morgan, said he "was life-flighted to the hospital where he is currently battling for his life after this heroic act."
"Our father has always been our hero and means the world to us. He is and always will be a fighter. The strongest and 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."
Morgan Coleman also organized a GoFundMe to help pay for Mark's living expenses and support his daughters who are taking time off work to be by their father's side along with other family expenses. As of Wednesday night, the GoFundMe exceeded its donation goal of $50,000.
It is believed the fire may have started in the kitchen due to a stove that may have been left on, according to the report. Authorities have not identified a cause of the fire.
The house is believed to be a total loss. Seven area fire departments responded to the incident.
Mark Coleman, nicknamed "The Hammer," debuted in UFC in 1996 and his last bout for the company was in 2010, ending his career at 16-10.
He was also on the U.S. wrestling team in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he placed seventh.
Coleman formerly wrestled at Ohio State University, which offered thoughts and prayers to Coleman and his family in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Fremont resident Anthony Slane praised how Coleman rescued his parents from the fire.
"It's awesome how selfless he was," Slane said. "He was willing to put himself in harm's way to save his parents."