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USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Mark Kerr headed to UFC Hall of Fame's Pioneer Wing
Mark Kerr headed to UFC Hall of Fame's Pioneer Wing Mark Kerr is the latest fighter who will head to the UFC Hall of Fame later this month. Kerr, who won the UFC 14 and UFC 15 heavyweight tournaments, will go into the Hall's Pioneer Wing, the promotion announced Saturday during the UFC 316 pay-per-view broadcast. The induction ceremony takes place in Las Vegas as part of International Fight Week for UFC 317. "Mark Kerr was a high-level wrestler who also fought for PRIDE and was one of the early pioneers of the sport," UFC CEO Dana White said in a news release. Kerr will be the 21st member of the Pioneer Wing, which has fighters who became professional largely in the 1990s ahead of the adoption of a unified ruleset. Kerr is one of just five fighters with multiple UFC tournament wins. The other four all are in the UFC Hall of Fame: Royce Gracie, Mark Coleman, Dan Severn and Don Frye. Kerr and his "Smashing Machine" nickname became legendary, and his background is legendary enough that an upcoming biopic starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson already is garnering acclaim. Johnson will be on hand to induct Kerr into the Hall, the UFC announced. The UFC's news release includes this about Kerr's non-UFC pursuits:
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
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.
Newsweek
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Dwayne Johnson Looks Unrecognizable as UFC Legend in 'Smashing Machine' Trailer
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors After months of promotional build up, we finally have a trailer for "The Smashing Machine", the sports biopic starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as UFC legend Mark Kerr. Emily Blunt co-stars as Kerr's then-wife Dawn Staples. You can watch the trailer below, and count how many times you can barely recognize Dwayne Johnson. Read More: Jenna Ortega Is Directing Her Own Film "The Smashing Machine" actually started its life as a 2002 HBO documentary of the same name directed by John Hyams. The doc chronicled Kerr's mixed martial arts career as well as his addiction to painkillers. Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in "The Smashing Machine". Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in "The Smashing Machine". A24 Following his success in Brazil's World Vale Tudo Championship, Kerr was invited to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he won the UFC 14 Heavyweight tournament title by defeating Dan Bobish after a little more than a minute and a half. He would go on to likewise win the UFC 15 championship after a similarly swift defeat of Dwayne Cason. After UFC 15, Kerr went to Japan to participate in their Pride Fighting Championships. Initially meeting with some success, a number of big losses convinced Kerr to take a break. Returning in 2004 for Pride 27, Kerr was soundly defeated by Yoshisha Yamamoto. Kerr made attempts at numerous comebacks between 2006 and 2009, none of which lasted long. By 2019 Kerr was separated from Dawn Staples, working at a Toyota dealership, and a GoFundMe had been set up for him to help with medical costs to help combat his peripheral neuropathy. As for Dwayne Johnson, "The Rock" always has a full plated including starring in the live-action "Moana". Johnson originated the voice role of the demi-god Maui in the 2016 animated film and he's returning to play the character in the live-action remake. He's also expected to return as Hobbs in "Fast X: Part 2" as well as his own spinoff film; something in the vein of 2019's "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw". There are also sequels in development for "Jungle Cruise" and "San Andreas". Emily Blunt will presumably be joining Johnsons both in "Jungle Cruise 2" and in whatever untitled Hawaiian crime drama Martin Scorsese has cast them both in. She's also expected to return to the role of Emily in "The Devil Wears Prada 2". "The Smashing Machine" is written and directed by Benny Safdie. The film releases in theaters October 3, 2025. More Movies: Will Forte Pledges to Climb Mount Everest Over 'Coyote vs. Acme' Rescue Predator and Humans Team Up in 'Predator: Badlands' First Look Trailer
