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- Dwayne Johnson stars in "The Smashing Machine," a biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr.Kerr had a dominating career at the UFC, which recently named him to its Hall of Fame.Kerr has also battled addiction, and at a low point after his fighting career, was living out of his car.
Dwayne Johnson's buzzy awards season turn in the A24 sports biopic "The Smashing Machine" sees the wrestling legend embody another famous athlete: mixed martial artist Mark Kerr.
One of the most dominant fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) during the late 1990s, Kerr rose through the ranks while battling an addiction to pain medication and dealing with a tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, Dawn Staples (played in the film by Emily Blunt).
The movie, in theaters Friday, is based on the 2002 HBO documentary, "The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr."
Johnson has already received acclaim for his performance, and the movie's director, Benny Safdie, won the Silver Lion prize at this year's Venice International Film Festival. Here's everything to know about Mark Kerr and where he is today.
Kerr was a champion wrestler in college and earned the nickname 'The Smashing Machine'
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Kerr attended Syracuse University and was an All-American and Division 1 champion at 190 pounds in 1992. During his collegiate freestyle wrestling career, he won gold and silver medals at the World Cup and a silver medal in the 1995 Pan American Games.
While making his MMA debut in 1997 at the World Vale Tudo Championship in Brazil, Kerr dominated the competition. He won all his bouts, took the championship, and was nicknamed "The Smashing Machine." That was followed by an invitation to join UFC.
Kerr continued his success at UFC, going unbeaten in both tournaments he entered — UFC 14 and UFC 15. However, his career at UFC would be a short one, as he decided to fight in Japan for Pride Fighting Championships, which offered larger paydays.
Kerr has also battled substance abuse and briefly lived out of his car
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Things began to go downhill for Kerr once he began fighting in Tokyo.
He suffered his first blemish in his MMA career in 1999 when his fight against Igor Vovchanchyn was ruled a "No Contest." His arguments with his girlfriend, Dawn Staples, became more intense, and he overdosed on painkillers, leading to a stint in rehab.
In 2000, Kerr was part of Pride Grand Prix, which was touted as a tournament that would crown the greatest fighter on the planet. He won his first bout, but then lost his next match. Ultimately, his friend, Mark Coleman, won the Grand Prix.
Kerr continued to fight, but was never his dominant self again. His MMA career record was 15-11-0.
At the same time, Kerr's personal life was also going through peaks and valleys. Kerr and Staples married in 2000 and divorced in 2015; they share a son named Bryce.
According to a 2015 Sports Illustrated profile on Kerr, after fighting, Kerr tried everything from being a real-estate agent to a personal trainer to make a living. He finally began selling cars at a Toyota dealership.
At a low point, while trying to stay sober, he lived out of his car for a few weeks.
"Looking back on it, I should've probably been in more contact than less," he told Sports Illustrated about that moment in his life. "There are people I could've reached out to. It's just not me. I'd rather try to figure it out myself. There was a time, eh, I have a car, it has a backseat, I can sleep on that. I can shower at the gym."
Kerr is now back in the spotlight, and recently signed with a major Hollywood talent agency
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Dwayne Johnson's production company, Seven Bucks Productions, bought Kerr's life rights, and in 2019, Benny Safdie came aboard to direct "The Smashing Machine."
In June, Kerr, 56, was inducted into the 2025 class of the UFC Hall of Fame.
In September, Innovative Arts Entertainment announced it had signed Kerr for representation in endorsements, licensing, speaking engagements, appearances, merchandising, and acting.
Kerr, who currently lives in Arizona, worked closely with both Safdie and Johnson during the making of "The Smashing Machine" and has publicly supported the movie as it begins its press run. He called the experience of watching the finished film at the Venice Film Festival "like therapy with a thousand people in the room."
"The Smashing Machine" is in theaters now.
