If the UFC would like to have Hall of Famer Mark Coleman present the BMF belt at UFC 300, the opportunity will be there.
One day after Max Holloway shared the idea in an interview with MMA Junkie, Coleman announced Tuesday on Instagram that the UFC is bringing him and his daughters to UFC 300 on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The gesture comes just a few weeks after Coleman saved his parents from their burning home in Ohio. As a result, Coleman was hospitalized because of smoke inhalation and found himself “battling for his life” as he was intubated and sedated while doctors worked to remove soot from his lungs.
Mark Coleman, 59, made a full recovery and has been back to doing regular activities.
Because of his heroism, Holloway told MMA Junkie it would only be right if “real-life BMF” Coleman did the honors of wrapping the belt around his or Justin Gaethje’s waste at UFC 300.
“The only correct answer is Mark Coleman,” Holloway said. “Especially with what he went through recently with his dog and his dog waking him to go save his stuff and he goes in there and runs for his dog? The guy’s a G. That’s a real-life BMF. That would be sick if he did it. It would be an honor to get him to do it.”
The UFC has invited a special guest to present the belt in the previous two BMF title fights. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did the honors for the inaugural bout between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz in 2019 at UFC 244. Then Masvidal did it for the fight between Gaethje and Dustin Poirier last year at UFC 291.