Retired UFC fighter Mark Coleman was in an induced coma in intensive care after he rescued his parents from a house fire in Toledo, Ohio, early Tuesday, his manager said.
Despite the urgent medical attention, family members, including Coleman's rescued mother, believe he will pull through, manager Michael DiSabato said late Tuesday.
The blaze took place around 4 a.m. when Coleman was awakened by the barking of the family's dog, Hammer, which prompted him to pull his father and then his mother out of the burning home, DiSabato said, adding that Coleman's family said the fire began in the kitchen.
Coleman, 59, went in a third time to rescue Hammer but was unsuccessful, and the dog died, he said.
It wasn't clear whether Coleman collapsed inside or outside the home. DiSabato said that the roof collapsed when the first firefighters arrived and that Coleman suffered from the effects of smoke inhalation.
He was rushed to a Toledo hospital by helicopter, DiSabato said. His parents were not seriously injured.
Daughter Morgan Coleman said on Instagram that he was “fighting for his life.”
Coleman's mother, Connie Foos Coleman, had a hopeful tone on Facebook late Tuesday: "I am going to bed! Thank God we are alive. Prayers for Mark ! Thank you to all the firefighters. And sheriffs dept. EMS Red Cross. and especially my family. Could not do this without you!"
Fire officials did not immediately respond to a request for information.
DiSabato sent photos of the home, which was nearly burned to the ground. What was left of the residence was completely charred.
Coleman was one of the UFC's earlier breakout stars, having started in 1996, the year Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., described the sport as "human cockfighting."
Coleman and contemporaries like Randy Couture helped professionalize the sport and expand it, even as they dazzled crowds with some tools better suited to street fighting.
Coleman's UFC record was 16-10-0 in the four years he fought in the organization. He also fought for Pride Fighting Championships, winning the promotion's Grand Prix tournament in 2000.
Before he switched to mixed martial arts, Coleman was a standout amateur wrestler, winning an NCAA championship at Ohio State in 1988 and competing at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
He later had stints in the world of scripted professional wrestling.
