The Hammer Versus the Shield

Mark “the Hammer” Coleman and Randy “Captain America” were slated to meet in a much anticipated heavy weight tournament match at UFC 17, but Couture had to bow out due to injury. Now twelve years later after scaling the heights of MMA the two Hall of fame fighters Coleman age 45 and Randy Couture 46 are to meet in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 109. They are both on the decline and title shots are unfathomable but still they fight on for their respective reasons

Their careers are parallel. Randy Couture was an All-American Greco Roman wrestler at Oklahoma State, gold medalist in the Pan American Games and an Olympic alternate in 2000. At Ohio State Mark Coleman was an all American freestyle wrestler, NCAA champion and member of the 1992 US Olympic team. Turning to MMA in the 90s Coleman, Couture, Dan Severn and Dan Henderson changed the game of MMA. Utilizing double leg takedowns and slams the wrestlers were controlling their opponents on the mat and then when possible pounding them into submission.

Coleman and Couture are both former UFC champions and also distinguished themselves fighting abroad in Japan. During his bruising career Mark Coleman faced Igor Voychan, Maurico “Shogun” Rua, Minaturo Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko. He lost to Nogueira and Emelianenko via submission but to his credit the Hammer claimed the 2000 Pride open weight tournament. After turning 40 the Hammer has won 3 of his last 5 fights losing to former Pride foes Maurico Rua and Fedor.

Randy Couture’s list is equally as impressive with championship wins over Maurice Smith, Pedro Rizzo, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. Couture lost the light heavyweight title to Liddell in a series of UFC fights, retired took time off and then battled back winning the heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia at age 40.

Today in the last stages of their careers the paths of Couture and Coleman bend away in different directions. Randy Couture continues to compete in MMA because he loves the sport and believes with honest intent that he continues to get better even though he is not as athletic or iron clad as he was five years ago.


Mark Coleman fights to support his family and maintain a quality of life. He has two young children and outside of coaching wrestling and his work with his Hammer House MMA club fighting is all that he knows. He’s had a distinguished career but he is far behind Couture in popularity and lacks the notoriety that would bring in the kind of earnings to walk away from the cage comfortably. Know as “Captain America and the Natural” Randy Couture has performed fight commentary, owns a string of MMA gyms and has appeared in movies. Couture is 1-2 since coming out of retirement losing to Heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar and heavyweight contender Minatura Noguiera in another hall of fame matchup. Dropping back down to 205 Captain America used his wrestling and clinch game mixed with his brawling style of “dirty boxing” to take the decision away from the talented Brandon Vera. In each of his two losses of 08 and 09 he has been knocked down and TKO’d by Lesnar. Vera dropped him with a kick to the body that could have finished the fight decisively.

Mark Coleman’s record over two UFC fights is 1-1 TKO’d versus Mauricio Rua in a sad affair with the Hammer on his knees gassed and Rua throwing fist to the 44 year old Coleman’s head. Anyone knowing the onetime greatness of the Hammer and the depths of that spectacle at the end of his career wanted him to retire that night. Undaunted, he did not retire returning to take a bout against original Ultimate Fighter runner-up Stephan Bonnar. The Hammer rebounded surprisingly well against the struggling younger Bonnar and mixed his superior wrestling with ground and pound to win unanimously.

Coleman and Couture are still two amazingly talented wrestlers so in the clinch they all but negate the others abilities. The one thing Captain America has maintained well over the years is his cardio perhaps lent to the environment of charged up young fighters he continues to mentor and train along side. Randy Couture should look to carry the pace of the fight at a tempo that will wear Mark Coleman whose cardio has come into question many times down. If you’re Mark Coleman you have to take note of the fact that Randy Couture’s not really shucking off shots the way he used to let your fist fly early and often. A knockdown could pave the way to one last Hall of Fame victory.

Jdon Howard