RALEIGH, N.C. () — Lorin Coakley’s son Matt is in prison for his part in a Raleigh bar fight last July. She doesn’t deny it happened, but told the ABC11 I-Team she can’t believe the sentence – saying both men are responsible for their actions.

“He is hanging in there and I have to think he is scared,” she said.

Coakley told us Matt, an amateur Mixed Martial Arts fighter, was sober the night he met up with friends at the Brickhouse Sports Pub to watch an Ultimate Fighting Championship match.

At some point in the evening, Matt and Denny Clark got into an argument over a TV.  Later, they bumped into each other again in the bathroom. But what happened next is up for debate.

Denny Clark initially agreed to tell the I-Team his side on camera, but then changed his mind, fearing backlash from Coakley supporters.

It’s support that’s growing with a  and MMA blogs around the country discussing and defending Matt.

“It is comforting. I think that the love that they are showing for him, the support, it helps that I think it helps that they believe him that he was acting in self-defense,” said Lorin.

We also reached out to the prosecutor in the case, who told us Coakley had a fair trial and the jury unanimously decided it was not self-defense.  He’s serving his 6-to-8 years near the Carolina coast as he appeals his conviction.

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