"Sanctioning committee is a f***ing joke" - Fans fear for 58-year-old Mark Coleman 's safety against rumored boxing champ opponent

Former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman is reportedly set to return to combat sports with a boxing match booked against former boxing champion Montell Griffin. The heavyweight bout is scheduled for October 14 in Miami or Chicago.

The news was reported by MMA journalist Drake Riggs who also re-posted the story on his Twitter handle. While it's fascinating that Coleman is competing in boxing against a multi-time world champion at the age of 58, fans were shocked and worried for the UFC Hall of Famer's health and safety.

They made their concerns known in the comments section of the tweet.

One fan expressed dismay at the committee sanctioning the fight, stating:

"That sanctioning committee is a f***ing joke."

Another fan expressed concern about Coleman facing Griffin and wrote:

"Not only is he coming back to fighting he’s coming to fight a world champion skull crusher Mark please stop."

One user pointed out:

"Don't do it. Age is not just a number in combat sport."

Another user wrote:

"Unconscionable."

Another fan asked:

"What commission would allow this?"

One user pointed out how old Mark Coleman is, writing:

"He's 58 bro."

Another user opined:

"This shouldn't be allowed to take place."

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Mark Coleman in the UFC: Revisiting history

Mark Coleman is undoubtedly one of the most well-known heavyweight legends that competed in the UFC, thanks to becoming the first-ever promotional heavyweight champion in February 1997.

The UFC's heavyweight division was among the first to be implemented in the promotion's portfolio, and it decided to unify the Superfight Championship and the Tournament Championship to determine who would fight for the first UFC heavyweight title.

The two contenders were Mark Coleman and Dan Severn, who fought for heavyweight gold at UFC 12: Judgement Day on February 7, 1997. However, it's important to note that Don Frye was initially meant to fight for the title but was later replaced by Coleman due to injuries rendering him unable to compete.

'The Hammer' emerged victorious via first-round submission and became the UFC's first-ever heavyweight champion. He held the title for 170 days before losing it to Maurice Smith at UFC 14. Coleman then left the UFC for PRIDE and became the promotion's open-weight champion. He returned to the UFC in 2009 and retired in 2010 after losing to Randy Couture.

Mark Coleman retired from the sport with a record of 16-10. During his time active, he faced several MMA greats like Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro-Cop, Randy Couture, Stephen Bonnar, and Mauricio Rua.