UFC Fighter Mark Coleman Wakes Up from Coma After Saving His Parents from House Fire: 'Happiest Man in the World'
"I went back in and got them," Coleman said of saving his parents after he woke up from a medically induced coma
UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman is the "happiest man in the world" after waking up from the medically induced coma he was placed in after saving his parents from a house fire.
Coleman, 59, made the declaration in a video shared to his Facebook page on Thursday, showing the former fighter's daughters, Morgan and Kenzie, greeting him after he came out of the coma.
The video's caption said, "Update: this is Kenzie. God is good. Miracles do happen. Our dad is breathing on his own. We want to thank you all for the love and support from the bottom of our hearts,"
Coleman said, "I'm the happiest man in the world," in the video. He continued, "God, I'm so lucky. I can't believe my parents are alive."
Coleman's daughters confirmed on Tuesday morning that their father had been hospitalized after saving his parents, Dan and Connie Foos Coleman, from the fire. Dan and Connie were trapped in the burning house when Mark went into the home to bring them out to safety.
Related: UFC Fighter Mark Coleman Hospitalized After Saving Parents from House Fire
He also returned to the home and attempted to rescue his dog, Hammer, but the dog did not survive, authorities said.
In the video shared on Thursday, Coleman said, "I had to make the decision, 'cause I got out of my room and went to the door and it was all horrible. I couldn't breathe, I almost had to go outside, and I went back in and got them, I can't believe it."
Tearing up, Coleman said he "couldn't find Hammer."
According to TMZ, the roof of the home collapsed shortly after the firefighters arrived at the scene of the fire. Coleman was airlifted to a local hospital, his daughters and friend, Wes Sims, confirmed in separate social media posts.
His daughter Morgan provided additional details in a post on Instagram. “He managed to carry 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 in the caption that accompanied a throwback photo of her, her father and her sister Kenzie.
“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,” she continued. “Please continue to pray for him and our family during this extremely difficult time. We will miss our sweet hammer so deeply.”
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The UFC legend, known as the "Godfather of ground-and-pound," first entered the mixed martial arts (MMA) arena in 1996.
Then, he became a heavyweight champion at UFC 10 and repeated as champion at UFC 11. He was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2008. He officially retired from MMA in 2013, reported ESPN. After his retirement, he suffered from a heart attack in 2020, reported MMA Fighting Newswire.
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