Mark Coleman may have made history, but the UFC 11 tournament was one of the worst events of that era.
The show was an all-around disaster. It was one of the least-purchased UFC events ever, despite the promise of the winner of the one-night tournament earning a $100,000 prize
The event was riddled with injuries, short fights, and a lack of entertainment for fight fans to sink their teeth into.
While any event can be saved by a fantastic main event, Mark Coleman’s main event fight only exacerbated the issues present at UFC 11.
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Mark Coleman won the UFC 11 tournament by forfeit
UFC 11 featured a Heavyweight tournament for a big cash prize, although the fans would have been hoping for their money back by the end of it.
Eight fighters, including Coleman, Tank Abbott, and Scott Ferrozzo, all competed in a knockout competition in Augusta, Georgia, on September 20, 1996.
Immediately, it became clear that this was not a night for the fans. In the quarter finals, only one fight went more than two minutes, while there were numerous injuries that caused winners to miss out on the next round.
Despite not originally being in the tournament, Ferrozzo entered the semi-finals to beat Abbott to earn a fight with Coleman, who had beaten Julio Sanchez and Brian Johnston in just three minutes of ring time.
The main event could have saved the disastrous event. There just wasn’t one. Ferrozzo suffered an injury in his clash with Abbott and was forced to pull out of the headline bout.
As injuries had ravaged the card, there was nobody left to replace him, and Coleman was simply awarded the victory via forfeit, in a result that was deeply unpopular with the 4,500 paid attendance.
Coleman claimed on Twitter that Don Frye wanted to replace Ferrozzo in the final, which was turned down as he was awarded the victory in controversial circumstances.
It was disappointing, but Coleman made up for it in his next fight.
Mark Coleman was a late replacement for Don Frye before winning the UFC Heavyweight championship
The win at UFC 11 earned Coleman a cool $100,000, but also made him the obvious choice as a late replacement for the title fight at UFC 12.
Frye was originally booked to face UFC Superfight champion Dan Severn in the fight for the belt, but an injury forced him to pull out.
Coleman was drafted in at short notice, unifying the UFC tournament belt with the Superfight title to begin a new era in the UFC.
After the disappointment at UFC 11, Coleman put on a fantastic performance against the UFC legend. Coleman outgrappled Severn in a massive shock, countering his takedowns with ease throughout the first round.
The pair traded jabs, which was rare at the time, before Coleman blocked another takedown and mounted Severn’s back, controlling him on the ground.
Eventually, he locked in a neck crank that forced Severn to give up, making history as the first-ever UFC Heavyweight champion.