Mark Kerr came to Alabama to make a name for himself in the UFC. He left as ‘The Smashing Machine'
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Before 'The Smashing Machine,' Mark Kerr was a former collegiate wrestler trying to make his way in mixed martial arts.
On July 27, 1997, Kerr would find his way as he fought for the top spot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Birmingham, Alabama.
Kerr, whose story will be told in a new movie from A24 starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Emily Blunt, was only 28 years old when he made his Octagon debut at UFC 14, which was held at Boutwell Auditorium. At the time, the former Syracuse University wrestler had just come off three fights at the World Vale Tudo Championship in Brazil. During the tournament, his first in mixed martial arts, Kerr beat Paul Varelans, Mestre Hulk and Fabio Gurgel.
Following his wins in Brazil, Kerr was invited to take part in UFC 14, where he would fight in the heavyweight championships against Moti Horenstein and Dan Bobish, both matches taking place on the same day.
In his match against Horenstein, Kerr won by technical knockout. Advancing to the finals, Kerr took out Bobish after shoving his chin into his eye. With the match over in nearly two minutes, Kerr was declared heavyweight champion.
One man who was at the fight was Joe Rogan. Before becoming one of the biggest podcasters in the world with 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' he was a standup comedian and actor who had just begun his association with the UFC as a ringside interviewer and commentator.
'Congratulations,' Rogan told Kerr following his win over Bobish. 'I know everybody is excited to see you again in the future.'
Years later, during a conversation with director Peter Berg, Rogan recalled Kerr's explosive UFC debut.
'Oh Jesus, he was big,' Rogan said during an episode of JRE last June. 'He was gigantic.'
Berg, who at one point was considered to direct 'The Smashing Machine,' then asked Rogan how good Kerr was in his prime.
'He was phenomenal,' he said. 'He was an elite wrestler who was on all the juicy juice.'
Recalling Kerr's win over Bobish by putting his knee into his eye, Rogan said he has never seen a move like that in the UFC since that fight.
'But also, no one is on the same amount of sauce as Kerr was,' he said. 'He looked like a superhero. He didn't even look like a real person.'
By October, Kerr would win UFC 15 and go on to wrestling in Japan for the Pride Fighting Championships. Over the course of his career, Kerr struggled with an addiction to painkillers, a battle chronicled in the 2002 HBO documentary 'The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr.' Kerr retired from MMA in 2009.
In an interview with Variety, Johnson said he was interested in Kerr's story because of the vulnerable, authentic person he is.
'I'm at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I've not pushed myself in the past,' Johnson said. 'I'm at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain.'
'The Smashing Machine,' directed by Benny Safdie, will be released Oct. 3.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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