UFC legend Mark Kerr earned his nickname after demolishing several opponents in the first round, going on to become known as ‘The Smashing Machine’.
This coming October, ‘The Smashing Machine’ film hits the screens as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson plays UFC legend Mark Kerr in the A24 distributed optic.
The Rock recently revealed that the main reason behind why he wanted to play Kerr in a Hollywood movie, was because of how much of a challenge it will be to make it a big blockbuster, like other films he has starred in.
Before competing in the UFC and PRIDE, Kerr was an extremely accomplished wrestler and grappler, and before making his move to MMA and the UFC, Kerr beat Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle in a wrestling match.
Mark Kerr earned ‘The Smashing Machine’ nickname with run of terrifying finishes
As well as beating Randy Couture during his days as a Collegiate Wrestler, Kerr then decided to make the transition to MMA after an extremely successful wrestling career.
Teammates with Mark Coleman, Kerr jumped at the opportunity to compete in Brazil in the World Vale Tudo Championship, later making his MMA debut against UFC veteran, Paul Varelans.
Kerr showcased exactly why there was so much anticipation surrounding his move to MMA after he scored a KO win in the first round, landing a huge takedown and subsequent ground-and-pound.
In his next fight, the wrestler beat Mestre Hulk so badly that Hulk was disqualified after crawling out of the ring after losing two teeth to Kerr’s vicious ground-and-pound. Kerr went on to win the tournament championship in his next fight.
He was then afforded the opportunity to fight at UFC 14 in the heavyweight tournament in 1997. In his UFC debut, Kerr fought against Moti Horenstein, knocking him out within the first few minutes of the fight.
He moved on to fight Dan Bobish on the same evening, subsequently finishing him with a bizarrely unique chin to eye submission, once again in the first round, winning the tournament championship.
Kerr continued his impressive run at UFC 15
Later that year, Kerr was invited back to the UFC to compete on UFC 15 in another heavyweight tournament.
In his first bout against Greg Stott, Kerr continued to showcase his terrifying power when he knocked Stott out in just 17 seconds after landing a huge knee.
Not long after, Kerr once again took advantage of his wrestling and grappling advantage, submitting Dwayne Cason inside one minute of the tournament final, earning his ‘The Smashing Machine’ nickname, having not gone out of the first round in seven fights.
‘The Smashing Machine’ then took his talents to PRIDE as they were able to offer him a higher pay than the UFC, where he continued to impress with four more finishes.