Mark Coleman vs. Fedor Emelianenko at Pride 32 "Real Deal"

The main event from Pride Fighting's debut in America, Mark Coleman against the most feared and respected fighter in the game, Fedor Emelianenko.

the main event of the night was the highly anticipated rematch between American MMA staple Mark “The Hammer” Coleman and Fedor Emelianenko, the undisputed Pride Heavyweight Champion and in the opinion of many the single greatest fighter in the world. While most MMA purists thought Coleman didn’t have a chance in hell, many fellow journalists that I spoke to had picked Coleman to win in an upset of titanic proportions. Thankfully for Pride, DSE, and all those longtime fans in attendance, Fedor showed just why he has been labeled as the best fighter in the world. From the opening bell, Coleman gave it his all and tried as hard as he could to take the fight to the mat. Fedor refused to go down, and seemingly barely even tried to defend the takedown. It was as if Fedor was in complete control the entire time. Fedor connected with a right straight that buckled the American’s legs early in round 1, yet strangely did not try to finish. There was another point in round 1 when, after yet another failed takedown attempt, Fedor connected with an effortless left uppercut that again buckled Coleman’s legs. This time Fedor followed with a barrage of hooks and uppercuts, landing several before Coleman once again shot in. It became apparent at this point that Coleman’s left eye was swollen and badly damaged. After a short break to check the severity of the injury, the fight was restarted and the former pattern resumed.

ImageRound 2 began with Coleman connecting with a stiff right cross, which he used to disguise his next shot attempt. Fedor defended well, but shortly afterwards Coleman finally got the double leg takedown, landing in the champion’s guard. Coleman delivered a few strikes before Fedor seized his right arm, spinning for another picture perfect armbar. Fedor defeated Mark Coleman by submission (armbar) at 1:27 seconds of round 2. After the fight, Mark Coleman’s two daughters came into the ring to give their daddy a big hug. Fedor also walked over and showed his classiness by hugging Coleman and exchanging niceties. Fedor stated through a translator that he let the fight go a little longer than it should have, mostly because he hadn’t fought for a while (due to his injury) and that he wanted to see everything Coleman had. On his way back to the dressing rooms, Fedor shook the hand of legendary martial artist Chuck Norris. After that display I was half expecting someone to make a joke along the lines of “The only reason Fedor is Champ is because Chuck Norris doesn’t fight in Pride.” I honestly would like to know what went through Norris’ mind when he shook hands with the Russian Bear. Later that night, at the post fight press conference, Fedor revealed that he wanted to face none other than Josh Barnett as his next title defense.