Who won the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament in 1997?

Mark Coleman won the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament in 1997.

UFC 12 took place on February 7, 1997, in Dothan, Alabama. The event introduced separate heavyweight and lightweight tournament brackets, replacing the earlier single open-weight tournament format. Coleman defeated Moti Horenstein in the heavyweight semifinal and Gary Goodridge in the final.

The victory established Coleman as one of the sport’s leading heavyweight competitors. He combined elite wrestling with powerful ground-and-pound attacks, a style that became highly influential in early mixed martial arts. Coleman later became the UFC’s first officially recognized heavyweight champion at UFC 12 by defeating Dan Severn.

A common mix-up is confusing the UFC 12 tournament winner with the first heavyweight champion. Coleman won the tournament and then won the title in the same event, while Severn had previously held the UFC Superfight Championship.