Spokane’s MMA fighter Mark Coates set to headline Combat FC matchup

Nursing home housekeeper by day, professional mixed martial artist by night, Mark Coates (13-10) is set to fight Joseph Poirier (6-2) in Wilmington, Massachusetts on Friday.

The main card bantamweight fight is sure to draw a crowd – and one that Combat FC might not expect given Coates’ profession.

Coates works at Sullivan Park Care Center as a housekeeper cleaning floors and rooms.

“Mark has been an incredible addition to the team at Sullivan Park. He goes above and beyond for our residents and is a great team player,” Sullivan Park Care Center administrator Quinn Robinson said in an email. “(S)eeing him in the ring will be a stark difference to how gentle and kind he is to our residents.”

Though the dichotomy may seem counterintuitive, the Lewiston High School graduate says the calmest he has ever been was after he started fighting.

“I’ve learned how to be able to have better communication with people because of fighting, and I think without fighting, my life would be an entirely different world,” Coates said. “Unfortunately, my brother passed away to a lot of drug usage, and it could have been a path that I followed.”

Being a professional athlete was something Coates knew he wanted to be – specifically a football athlete.

“I realized that in football there was probably not going to be a possibility (to go professional) for me, because I’m a lot more of a smaller person,” Coates said. “And then my brother bringing the fighting and stuff, it just became something (of) a passion of mine that I extremely enjoyed.”

At 16 years old in Lewiston, Idaho, Coates fought his first fight.

“(I) ended up winning my first fight. Went on to win my next eight amateur fights, (and) lost a split decision for a title fight here in Spokane,” Coates said.

A few months later, Coates avenged his loss in Las Vegas via unanimous decision.

The future was looking bright for Coates. But, like with anything, dreams can become sabotaged by certain choices.

“I was one of those guys that just kind of took fights that I shouldn’t have. Taken fights outside of my weight class, short-notice fights,” Coates said. “But I think where my record’s at now, it’s going to be a little bit harder to make a good living off of just fighting.”

Now, his next fight takes him to the East Coast – somewhere he has never been.

Before he gets to see the beautiful Boston fall colors, he has to scrap – something to which he’s looking forward.

“(The fight is) a good matchup for the both of us,” Coates said. “He’s got a style that’s pretty similar to mine, to where he’s gonna try to clinch up, push up against the cage, take your back, choke you out.”

Poirier stands at 5 feet, 10 inches with a reach of 70 inches compared to Coates’ 5-foot-8-inch frame and 69-inch reach.

“I think it’ll be a hard match just because (Poirier) is pretty long and rangey, so (Coates is) gonna have to close the distance,” Coates’ assistant coach Erik Mendez said.

Despite Poirier’s reach advantage, Coates’ team at Revolution MMA is confident in the bantamweight’s abilities.

“(Coates) is really good at controlling people once he gets to their back,” Mendez said. “For this fight, the goal is to get the guy up against the wall and take his back.”

According to Coates, if everything goes to plan, the two bantamweights will have a small striking exchange before Coates gets to the inside, forcing Poirier to the cage to expose his back for the body lock.

“I get that body lock, and then they’re going nowhere,” Coates said. “It’s over right then and there.”

Mendez agrees, saying he thinks Coates “will probably get it done within two rounds.”

Back in the Valley, Coates’ colleagues will eagerly be cheering “Marky Marks” on against Poirier.

“The Sullivan Park team is very proud (of) Mark and excited to watch him fight on Friday,”

Robinson said. “We look forward to holding a watch party at the facility to cheer him on!”

Combat FC 11: Oliveira vs. Ahmadyar takes place at the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, Massachusetts and can be streamed on UFC Fight Pass on Friday with the main card starting at 6 p.m.