After the recent UFC 245 press conference, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced he would be producing and starring in an upcoming movie based on the life of MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Mark “The Smashing Machine” Kerr is a retired heavyweight fighter from Toledo, OH. He was a stand-out in the early days of the UFC.
Kerr began wrestling in high school and continued throughout college. He was the Division I champion at 190 pounds in 1992 and a Division I All-American in the same year. In 1994, Kerr was the USA Senior Freestyle Champion at 220 pounds.
Beginning his UFC career in 1997, Kerr fought in UFC 14 in Birmingham, Alabama. After a successful stint in the organization, he was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He moved on to fight for Pride Fighting Championships in 1998.
Kerr openly admitted to using steroids during his early years of fighting and became addicted to pain killers and alcohol which he used to combat the pain he experienced in the sport. In 1999, he overdosed on methadone and Valium.
Kerr eventually went to rehab for his addictions. However, from 2000 until his retirement in 2009 at the age of 41, he was only able to win four of his fifteen fights.
____
Make sure to follow The Scrap News (@thescrapnews) on Twitter.
The Scrap’s Caroline Romero is a journalism graduate and has 3 children involved in combat sport. Make sure to follow her son Simon Romero on his Behind The Grind podcast on YouTube.
About Post Author
