UFC 93: Mark Coleman Talks Shogun Rua, Says He's Not Ready to Retire

In nine days, UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman will step into the Octagon with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 93 in Dublin, for Coleman's first fight in more than two years.

But while the 44-year-old Coleman hasn't fought since losing to Fedor Emelianenko on October 21, 2006, that doesn't mean he's close to retiring. In an interview this week, Coleman told me he's staying in the sport because he loves to compete, he's in great shape heading into the fight, and he expects to keep fighting into 2009 -- perhaps even returning in March to fight in his home town of Columbus and take on Chuck Liddell.

The full interview is below.

I think the obvious question is, what have you been doing for the last two years, and how rusty will you be next Saturday?
I needed some time off after the Fedor fight. I had so many injuries, I needed a break mentally and physically. Maybe not this long of a break, but I needed a good six to eight months off. I've continued to work out in the gym, but I also got a chance to spend a lot of time with my daughters, which was very important to me. That was the hardest part about my career, is that I've missed out on quite a bit with my daughters. I needed some time to make it up to them.

I'm glad to be getting back in the ring, and we'll find out if there's going to be some ring rust. I guess we'll have to wait and see when I get in there. I'm feeling good in practice. I'm happy to be going down to 205 pounds. I don't anticipate it being an easier weight class because it's loaded with talent, but I've got some good opportunities to win.

It's interesting that you say "back in the ring." Most of your fights have been in rings, but now that you're back in the UFC you'll be fighting in a cage. Does that make a big difference?
I'm excited about being in the cage. It suits my style better than a ring. But it's not a big difference. The big difference is the rules changes -- knees to the head on the ground are illegal, elbows are legal. That plays into my game a little better. I've used knees on the ground before -- I won a fight with knees on the ground -- but that situation just kind of fell into place, getting Allan Goes stuck in the corner like that. (Editor's note: Here's the video of the fight Coleman is referring to:)


But the style of fighter I am, I look forward to using some elbows on the ground. I'd like to fight this fight on my feet, but the elbows will come in handy if we go to the ground.

Why is your game plan to fight on your feet?
I don't know if it's a good game plan. I just know I've been wanting to let my hands go for 10 years, and I've never been able to do it when the lights go on. But I've hurt plenty of people in practice with the stand up game.

You've already beaten Shogun once, by TKO when you injured his arm and he couldn't continue. What can you take from that fight and apply to this one?
I can't take too much out of the first time except I know he's been doing Muay Thai for 10, 15 years, so obviously he's got some pretty good stand-up skills, and I really respect his ground skills because he's so active and so quick down there that he's definitely a threat in the submission game. I'd say his main weakness -- the one big advantage I have -- is my strength. I also think he trains so hard in practice that maybe it's taken its toll on him as well, especially with all the injuries he's had. You've got to have luck on your side and unfortunately he's been unlucky with injuries.

You're 44. Randy Couture is 45. Does it help to know there's at least one guy older than you who's still in the game?
I look up to Randy Couture. I think it's phenomenal what he's been able to do. He gives me a little bit of hope that I can still do it. I look at older athletes in all sports. I'm a big fan of all the guys over 40 in all sports. It really comes down to this: Are you willing to sacrifice and pay the price? And is your body in one piece? And I feel mine is. I feel healthy and relatively fresh still. I've had my share of injuries, but they've healed up.

Do you think about how many more fights you have left?
Yeah, I think about that. I don't plan on retiring any time soon. This is what I love to do. I enjoy staying in shape. I love working out. I don't look forward to retiring.

Will you have any trouble getting down to 205 pounds?
I'm a little surprised at how well the weight has come off. The weight came off easier than I anticipated. I'm a little less than 220, which for me and for most wrestlers, 15 pounds is no problem. Not that it's easy cutting weight, but I don't expect it to drain me at all. I hope to maintain the strength that I have now.

There has been speculation that if you beat Shogun there's a chance that you could fight Chuck Liddell in March at UFC 96 in Columbus. Is that a possibility?
I've heard a lot of rumors. I guess that's a possibility. Anything's a possibility. That would be huge, but I'm not looking past Shogun. But if you're forcing me to look past him, that would be an enormous fight in my career, fighting in Columbus, in my hometown, that would be the pinnacle.

Is it safe to say, as an NCAA wrestling champion at Ohio State, you'd have the crowd on your side in Columbus?
I would certainly hope so. I'd be a little disappointed if I didn't get a pretty big cheer in Columbus, but Chuck's a popular figure in this sport, and when you come to Columbus, a lot of fans are here for the Arnold Festival from out of town, so you never know.

You and Chuck both started fighting in the UFC more than 10 years ago. How has the sport changed since the 1990s?
The exposure. The amount of fans who watch it now, the money involved and most importantly the athletes -- there are so many more athletes taking part in it, and the quality of the athletes. The talent level is off the charts now. That's probably because the sport is 20 years old now. When I first got into it there were no coaches. Now guys have two or three different coaches, a coach for all areas of the game.

Does it bother you that there are still misconceptions about the sport, that people think it's like a street fight and don't realize that the UFC is full of world-class athletes?
I don't think too many people have any clue what it entails, other than fighters and trainers and very educated fans. There's still just a misconception about two guys getting in there fighting. But no, there are guys spending $20,000 or $30,000 just on their training camps. They take their training very seriously.

Who's the best opponent you've fought?
Fedor.

What is it like to fight Fedor?
For me, it wasn't that fun. In my opinion, he's the best there is out there. He's got the whole game -- including, most importantly, mentally he's one of the toughest guys out there. He's got the complete package. He's strong, he's quick, he's fast and highly skilled in all areas. My only concern for him is his size one day may catch up to him, and the possibility of getting cut. But other than that he's phenomenal.

When you say size, you mean he might struggle against a bigger opponent?
Exactly. He's like six feet tall and 230 pounds, and that's a small heavyweight these days.

Especially compared to Brock Lesnar.
I'm not surprised by what Brock's doing. He's got the physical tools to dominate people. He's 6-foot-4, 275 pounds with an 81-inch reach, those kind of dimensions are going to be hard for anyone to deal with. As long as he stays dedicated and doesn't let his success go to his head, he's going to be hard to beat. A Fedor-Brock Lesnar fight? I would definitely be excited to watch that fight.

Do you watch a lot of MMA?
Oh, yeah, I'm a fan of all sports. Growing up that's all I ever wanted to be was a professional athlete. That's what I do when I have free time is watch sports on TV.

What did you think of UFC 92?
I was really impressed with Frank Mir. Maybe the punishment that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's taken has caught up to him. He's been an incredible warrior over the years, but your body can only take so much. Quinton Jackson, when he's on his game, he's hard to beat. I wasn't surprised that he beat Wanderlei Silva because I look at him as one of the best. Rashad Evans is just a phenomenal, explosive, powerful athlete. He's a wrestler who's really working on his stand up and he's got dynamite in his hands. He continues to improve and that 205-pound weight class is just loaded with studs. I anticipate as the years go by there will be more and more bigger, more athletic heavyweights but right now there's not as many talented heavyweights out there. Down the road I see a lot better group of heavyweights. But right now the 205 and on down, those weight classes are just loaded

With how loaded the 205-pound class is, is it realistic to think you can work your way into title contention?
Well, that's what I'm in this for. I'm not in this to play games, I'm in this to win. If you don't believe you can do it, that's when it's time to retire. I still believe I can do it.