To date, a plethora of UFC fighters have struggled with substance abuse. Nick Diaz’s suspension for testing marijuana positive and Jon Jones losing his title for drug use are well-known stories in the UFC community. But, these two are far from being the only incidents of substance abuse by fighters. A former UFC Heavyweight champion, has also been through a lot of dreaded times in his life due to his affinity towards an intoxicating substance.

The fighter being talked about here is Mark Coleman, a formidable force during his days inside the octagon. Long-time UFC fans might also remember him as the first-ever UFC Heavyweight champion. However, his alcoholism made his life outside the octagon increasingly difficult over time. But, instead of giving up on his demons, Coleman fought against them and defeated them to end up a sober man today. A few months back, he stretched out his hand to the noted boxing legend, Mike Tyson. The veteran fighter asked Tyson for help in preparation for his probable Celebrity Boxing bout against Montell Griffin.

Mark Coleman even had a heart attack due to his severe alcoholism

Although that bout hasn’t materialized, recently, Coleman decided to celebrate his feat of overcoming addiction with an Instagram story. It read, “I gave up everything good in my life to have one thing, alcohol. Today I have given up one thing to have everything”. Looking at the troubles Coleman had faced due to his alcoholism, his celebration was quite understandable.

In the latter half of the year 2020, Coleman also suffered from a blockage in one of his major arteries as a result of his heavy drinking throughout the years. He also described his feeling during the incident in a now-deleted Instagram post, stating that his “chest locked up” and “arms went numb”.

But post this incident, Coleman has transformed completely. Currently, he also celebrates the anniversaries of leading life as a sober individual. It also may be said that he also intends to help others with such actions.

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But, a lot of fans might say that Coleman’s heart attack was the incident that built up his resolve to refrain from alcohol. It also made him realize that he had more duties to fulfill as a father, for which he had to give up alcoholism.

Mark Coleman takes pride in announcing his victory over his own demons

Coleman often takes to social media and talks about how he overcame his own demons. He has also stated how he wants to help others struggling with similar issues. In an interview with ‘MMA Junkie’, he has also broken down how his life has improved considerably after giving up on alcohol.

‘The Hammer also put up a post on his Twitter account on his one-year anniversary as a sober man. It read, “One year ago today I was getting my ass wupped bad in the hospital I didn’t tap I got help. You can too! Rehabilitation does happen”.

It’s quite apparent that Coleman wants to lead the way for many who struggle with such issues. He wants to be the guide for such people lost in the darkness inside themselves.

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In his MMA Junkie interview, Coleman mentioned how substance abuse can “pick anyone and it never stops until it has taken away everything”. He certainly didn’t want the same to happen to anyone after experiencing a part of it himself.