A MOMENT CAPTURED

Sam Morris, Las Vegas Sun

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 | 7:15 a.m.

Ignoring the post-fight question posed by the public address interviewer, Mark Coleman grabbed the microphone and yelled "I love you girls! I'll be back," while jabbing a massive hand toward his daughters in the audience.

Moments before, nearly 12,000 people watched as the Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight was beaten into submission by a Russian giant when he found himself trapped an excruciating hold called an armbar. Two of those 12,000 saw something entirely different: Their daddy got hurt.

To calm the tears and fears of his daughters, the bloodied Coleman embraced his daughters while caressing their hair and repeating over and over that "Daddy's OK. Daddy's OK," after they were lifted up to the ring and into his waiting arms.

When his repeated reassurance that "Daddy's OK, it's all over. It's all over. Daddy's OK. Let's go have some fun now," failed to completely calm the girls, Coleman took them to center ring and introduced them to Fedor Emelianenko, the man who turned his face into a bloody pulp.

After a minute or two of talk, Coleman playfully tagged the Russian champion with a light tap to the chin and then raised his arms in victory - maybe daddy is invulnerable after all.

As the near-sellout crowd continued to file out of the Thomas & Mack Center, it seemed as if only a handful of photographers paid attention to the scene until a ringside judge was seen surreptitiously rubbing his eyes and wiping his cheeks.

It is within the realm of possibility that he merely had a piece of dust in his eye.

SAM@LASVEGASSUN.COM