Mark Kerr (born December 21, 1968) is an American former

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

and

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. During his MMA career, he was a two-time

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a

PRIDE FC PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

competitor. In

collegiate wrestling Collegiate wrestling, commonly referred to as folkstyle wrestling, is the form of wrestling practiced at the post-secondary level in the United States. This style of wrestling is also practiced at the high school, middle school, and elementary ...

, Kerr was an NCAA Division I champion. In

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

, he won

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

and

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

s at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

and silver at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. In

submission wrestling Submission wrestling, also known as submission grappling, submission fighting, or simply grappling, is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques. It is a hybrid discipline that incorporates elem ...

, Kerr is a four-time ADCC World Champion, winning his weightclass twice along with the absolute division and the Superfight Championship. In 2002, Kerr was the subject of an

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

documentary titled '' The Smashing Machine'', which detailed his MMA career fighting in

Vale Tudo Vale Tudo or vale-tudo (; ), also known as No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few Regulation of sport, rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would eventua ...

, the UFC and PRIDE. ''The Smashing Machine'' also focused on Kerr's struggle with substance abuse, his relationships with his then-girlfriend, various training partners, and friendship with

Mark Coleman Mark Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first List of UFC champions#Tournament ...

. An upcoming film of the same name by

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

, starring

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...

as Kerr, is set to be released on October 3, 2025.

Early life

Mark Kerr was born in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

to Tom and Mary Kerr. His father was Irish, and his mother was Puerto Rican. From early childhood, he would dream of being in the Worldwide Wrestling Federation and would hold mock fights with his younger siblings in the back yard. In 1983, Kerr began his wrestling career in

Bettendorf, Iowa Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 39,102 at the 2020 census. Bettendorf is the fifth of the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River, along with neighboring Davenport in Iowa and Moline, East Molin ...

as a freshman at

Bettendorf High School Bettendorf High School (BHS) is a public four-year comprehensive high school located in Bettendorf, Iowa and is part of the Bettendorf Community School District. History Early history Prior to its opening in 1951, there was no high school in ...

where he shared the wrestling room with future UFC champion

Pat Miletich Patrick Jay Miletich (; born March 9, 1968) is a retired Americans, American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former sports commentator. He is known for his fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he became the first UFC W ...

, a senior at the time. After his freshman year at Bettendorf, Kerr and his family moved to

where he became a high school state champion for Toledo Waite.Half century of Waite wrestling comes to sudden halt
. Presspublications.com (2011-01-24). Retrieved on 2012-06-17.

College and post-graduate career

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, Kerr was the Division I champion at 190 pounds and an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 1992,62nd NCAA Wrestling Tournament 3/19/1992 to 3/21/1992 at Oklahoma City
wrestlingstats.com defeating

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...

12–4 in the final. He was also a three-time

EIWA The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) is an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling conference. It held its first championship tournament in 1905, making it the oldest wrestling conference in the NCAA. The EIWA's charter members we ...

champion at 190 lb. (1989, 1991, 1992) and a runner-up in 1988, and won the Fletcher Award for scoring the most team points in 1991 and 1992. In 1992, Kerr came second at the

, ahead of

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...

. Kerr won the USA World Team Trials in 1993 and 1994, finishing 7th at the 1993 World Championships. In 1994, he won gold at the World Cup in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

along with the USA Senior Freestyle Championship but did not medal at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. Kerr won silver in freestyle at the

1995 Pan American Games The 1995 Pan American Games, officially known as the XII Pan American Games () and commonly known as Mar del Plata 1995, were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from 12 to 26 March 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games' first retur ...

. After missing out on the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, losing to

, Kerr decided to focus on MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

While training as an amateur wrestler, Kerr became interested in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

as a way to earn money. He, his long-time friend and training partner

and Tom Erikson were initially scouted by Richard Hamilton, who had managed

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

fighter

Don Frye Donald Frye (born November 23, 1965) is an American former mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, and actor. In MMA, he was one of the sport's earliest well-rounded fighters and won the '' UFC 8'' and '' David vs. Goliath 96'' tournament ...

until a falling out and was now offering a place in

UFC 10 ''UFC 10: The Tournament'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 12, 1996, at the Fair Park Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later re ...

against him.Jonathan Snowden, ''Total Mma: Inside Ultimate Fighting'' However, nothing came from it, and Coleman ended up hunting down the chance. Eventually, Kerr and Hamilton arranged for the former to train with Coleman and fight at the

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian event World Vale Tudo Championship 3 in January 1997. His appearance was highly anticipated, as other wrestlers like Coleman or Erikson were already known in the MMA community, though there were doubts about Kerr's true skills.Vale Tudo Relics: The Birth of The Smashing Machine
/ref> Kerr himself was doubtful about it, to the point Hamilton had to force him to fight under the threat the Brazilian crowd might riot and kill him if he didn't show up.

World Vale Tudo Championship

Kerr made his debut in MMA at WVC 3 against UFC veteran

Paul Varelans Paul Varelans (September 17, 1969 – January 16, 2021) was an American professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1995 to 1996, and had a worked match in Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1996. B ...

. The bout lasted two minutes, with Kerr slamming Varelans with a takedown, mounting him and landing punches and

knee strike A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike (attack), strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. ...

s for the stoppage. The same happened to his next opponent, Mestre Hulk, a

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

police teacher who had become known for besting Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Amaury Bitteti. After losing two teeth to Kerr's

ground and pound Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the solid terrestrial surface of the Earth * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical circ ...

, Hulk crawled out of the ring, getting disqualified. Kerr then reached the finals, where he was pitted against jiu-jitsu fighter Fabio Gurgel. Again, the fight would bring echoes, this time those of the bout between Erikson and Gurgel's teammate Murilo Bustamante, which happened the same year. Kerr went to the fight with a broken hand from the Hulk fight, but he had 50 pounds over Gurgel. He took Gurgel down, passed his

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

with ease and bloodied him with multiple kinds of strikes. The situation prolonged itself by 19 minutes, with the Brazilian trying

armlock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that Anatomical terms of motion#General motion, hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow, elbow joint or glenohumeral joint, shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it w ...

s and

triangle choke A triangle choke, or sankaku-jime (三角絞) in judo, is a type of figure-four chokehold that encircles the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. Applying pressure using both legs and ...

s from the bottom, but Kerr avoided them and kept landing punishment. The fight had no time limit, but at the 30 minute mark, seeing that Gurgel was unable to defend anymore, the judges stopped the fight and gave Kerr the win.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Following his success in Brazil, Mark Kerr was invited to fight in the

. Kerr had previously been told of the event by Coleman, who was himself a UFC tournament winner and champion by this point. Kerr's first bout in the UFC came at UFC 14 where he fought in the heavyweight tournament. His first fight was against

krav maga Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli Hand-to-hand combat, self-defence system. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it uses techniques derived from aikido, boxing, judo, karate and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situat ...

representative Moti Horenstein, and Kerr defeated his opponent by technical knockout at 2:22 of the first round. With this win Kerr advanced to the finals of the tournament where he beat

Dan Bobish Daniel Emerson Bobish ( ; born January 26, 1970) is a retired American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He was competing in the Super Heavyweight (no limit) division. He is a former King of the Cage Super Heavyweight Champion ...

with a submission (chin to the eye) at 1:38 of the first round; Kerr's win over Bobish earned him the UFC 14 Heavyweight tournament title. Following his success at UFC 14, Kerr was invited to compete at the next UFC tournament — UFC 15. In this tournament, Kerr's first opponent was Greg Stott whom he defeated in 17 seconds from the opening of the fight, winning by way of knockout with a knee to his opponent's head. Advancing to the finals, Kerr fought Dwayne Cason and finished his opponent within the first minute of the opening round, winning the UFC 15 Heavyweight tournament. Kerr's winning of the UFC 15 tournament was his last fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.'' The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr'' Following his win of UFC 15, Kerr decided to fight in Japan for the

Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

due to the UFC's promotional difficulties and Pride's larger paychecks.

Pride Fighting Championships

After considering an offer from Japanese promotion

Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a ...

, Kerr signed up with Pride for a matchup against fellow UFC champion

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer ...

Pride 2 The year 1998 was the 2nd year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 1998 had 3 events beginning with, ''Pride 2''. Debut Pride FC fighters The following fighters fought their first ...

in 1998. The match, as per Gracie's demands, would have been without time limits or referee stoppages. However, Royce pulled out after the fight had been advertised. Kerr was then slated to fight Branco Cikatic. Kerr utilized the same ground-and-pound fighting style from his previous fights, taking his opponent onto the mat and then using strikes and submissions to try to finish the fight. Kerr was said to be an improved version of

because he was proficient in wrestling, submissions, and take downs, with good cardio and an ever-improving striking game under his tutelage with

Bas Rutten Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (; born 24 February 1965) is a Dutch-American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. As a kickboxer, he fought 16 times, winning the first 14 matches by knockout, 13 in the first round ...

. Around the time that Kerr entered PRIDE, some considered Kerr to be one of the top MMA Heavyweight fighters in the world. Kerr won four bouts between Pride 2 and Pride 6. However, his status was soon questioned after his first bout with

Igor Vovchanchyn Igor Yaroslavovych Vovchanchyn (, ; born August 6, 1973) is a retired Ukrainian mixed martial artist and kickboxer, who competed in early Mixed martial arts, no holds barred MMA contests. After making his professional MMA debut in 1995, he won nin ...

at Pride 7, in which he was knocked out by illegal knee strikes. Even though the loss was overturned and changed to a "No Contest" ruling, Kerr admitted that the initial loss had been a difficult decision for him to face. Following his fight against Vovchanchyn, Kerr fought in the

Pride Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round Pride is a human secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on context, may be viewed as either vi ...

and won over

Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-Hawaiian jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shoo ...

. His win against Inoue earned him a place at the

Pride Grand Prix 2000 Finals Pride is a human secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on context, may be viewed as either vi ...

, where he fought

Kazuyuki Fujita is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Championship ...

and lost by decision. Kerr underwent stitching for a split chin immediately after the fight due to the hard knees to the face. At Pride 10 - Return of the Warriors Kerr defeated Igor Borisov by submission. Four months later, at Pride 12 - Cold Fury, he lost by decision in the rematch with Vovchanchyn. Kerr then lost to

Heath Herring Heath Herring (born March 2, 1978) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division. While perhaps best known for competing in PRIDE, he has also formerly competed for the UFC, K-1 and Rizin. Background ...

Pride 15 The year 2001 was the 5th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2001 had 6 events beginning with, ''Pride 13 - Collision Course''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters T ...

via TKO. With his second loss in a row, Kerr decided to take time away from MMA. In 2004, Kerr returned to PRIDE, fighting Yoshihisa Yamamoto at Pride 27. Just 40 seconds into the fight, Kerr attempted a double leg takedown, but accidentally spiked his head into the canvas, stunning him with Yamamoto quickly following up with punches to end the fight. With his third straight loss under the PRIDE FC banner, Kerr quit PRIDE. Speaking of Kerr's time fighting in Japan, Mark Coleman said, "Every time a fight came around he was pretty scared. He was intimidated by the whole situation and that is probably what led to him using pain killers."

Later career

After his loss to Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Kerr was supposed to make his comeback against Wes Sims in the American Championship Fighting (ACF) on May 6, 2006, at the

Denver Coliseum Denver Coliseum is an indoor arena, owned by the City and County of Denver, operated by its Denver Arts & Venues and located in Denver, Colorado. The arena has a capacity of 10,200 people and was built from 1949 to 1951. The coliseum is located i ...

, but was not medically cleared to fight due to a hand injury. On February 11, 2007, Kerr fought Mustafa Al Turk at

Cage Rage Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...

20: 'Born 2 Fight'. Kerr lost his footing after an attempted roundhouse kick and he was mounted, stunned with a series of blows and submitted within the first round. Kerr was supposed to fight

Sean O'Haire Sean Christopher Haire (February 25, 1971 – September 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and kickboxer, better known by his ring name Sean O'Haire. Haire was best known for his appearances with the profess ...

on August 17 in the Global Fighting Championships first show at the

Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in the Uncasville, Connecticut, Uncasville area of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurab ...

but was cancelled due to his high blood pressure and his license was suspended indefinitely. Mark Kerr fought in the World Cage Fighting Organization (WCO) in November 2007, winning his bout against Steve Gavin by Americana after 1:39 of the first round. In 2008, Kerr launched a comeback. In March, Mark beat Chuck Huus by Submission (Keylock/Americana) at CCCF – Battle on the Border. In April, he lost to

Oleg Taktarov Oleg Nikolaevich Taktarov (; born 26 August 1967) is a Russian actor and retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He was a practitioner of Sambo (martial art), Sambo and Judo and competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride ...

in one round by kneebar. Two months later, Kerr was choked out in the opening round by deaf fighter Tracy Willis at a C-3 Fights show in Cocho, Oklahoma. On July 26, Ralph Kelly stopped Kerr in the first round at Xp3. On September 27, 2008, Kerr lost to fellow heavyweight

Jeff Monson Oregon State Beavers Jeffrey William Monson (born January 18, 1971) is an American-born Russian mixed martial artist, boxer, and submission grappler who competes primarily in the heavyweight division. A professional com ...

by rear-naked choke, in a battle of former ADCC champions. On August 28, 2009, Kerr faced fellow wrestler

Muhammed Lawal Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former Strikeforc ...

at an M-1 Global event. Kerr was taken down and subsequently pounded into unconsciousness in just 25 seconds, receiving several blows to the head after he was clearly unable to defend himself. This led the event's TV commentators to openly speculate that Kerr's fighting career was over.

Guy Mezger Guy Mezger (born January 1, 1968) is an American martial artist, who competed in professional combat sports including full contact karate, kickboxing, and boxing, but is most recognized as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Mezger retired fro ...

, in the post-fight discussion, suggested that it was time for Kerr to "find another vocation". Kerr only won four of his 15 fights since 2000 and lost his last five fights.

Hall of Fame

During

UFC 316 ''UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 7, 2025, at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Background The event marked the ...

's broadcast in June 2025, Kerr was announced as the next "pioneer wing"

UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In a ...

inductee during International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas this June.

Submission wrestling career

Kerr was successful at the

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship is an international submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). ADCC is considered one of the most prestigious No-Gi submission grappling tournaments in the world ...

s. At the 1999 tournament, he won the +99 kg division by defeating Carlos Barreto,

Josh Barnett Joshua Lawrence Barnett (born November 10, 1977) is an American mixed martial artist, submission wrestler, professional wrestler, and color commentator. Barnett previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the y ...

Chris Haseman Chris Haseman (born 2 June 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian mixed martial artist. Haseman is currently signed with Fighting Network RINGS and is a longtime veteran of the promotion (1995–2012). Regarded as a pioneer of MM ...

, and Sean Alvarez. Kerr returned for the 2000 tournament, winning the +99 kg division again as well as the absolute division. In the +99 kg division, he defeated Josh Barnett again, Anthony Netzler,

Rigan Machado Rigan Machado (born 2 July 1966) is a Brazilian-American martial arts instructor. He is an 8th degree red and White belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, earning his rank under Carlos Gracie Jr. He is a former Pan American Champion (1996, 1997 weight a ...

, and

Ricco Rodriguez Ricco Rodriguez (born August 19, 1977) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight (MMA), heavyweight division. A professional competitor from 1999 to 2019, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, ...

. In the absolute division, he defeated Léo Vieira, Mike van Arsdale,

Ricardo Almeida Ricardo Alves Almeida (; born November 29, 1976) is a Brazilian-American former mixed martial artist and current Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler residing in Bordentown, New Jersey. Almeida is a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRID ...

, and Sean Alvarez again. This earned him a Superfight Championship match in 2001 against

Mário Sperry José Mário Sperry (born 28 September 1966) is a Brazilian heavyweight mixed martial artist. His specialty is Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grappling and ground fighting. He is also one of the founders of the Brazilian Top Team, where he t ...

, which Kerr won. He lost the Superfight Championship to

Ricardo Arona Ricardo Arona (; born 17 July 1978) is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist, submission grappler and 4th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt practitioner. A two-time World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu champion in the lower belts ...

at the 2003 edition. In recognition of his accomplishments, Kerr was one of the inaugural inductees into the ADCC Hall of Fame in 2022.

In popular culture

In 2002,

aired a documentary titled '' The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr'', directed by

John Hyams John Hyams is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, best known for his involvement in the '' Universal Soldier'' series, for which he has directed two installments. Hyams is the son of director Peter Hyams. Career Hyams graduat ...

, which dealt with the life and career of Mark Kerr. The program chronicles Kerr's addiction to painkillers and the "no holds barred" aspect of early

competition. Kerr's then-girlfriend, Dawn Staples, and mixed-martial artists

Kevin Randleman Kevin Christopher Randleman (August 10, 1971 – February 11, 2016) was an American mixed martial artist, amateur and professional wrestler, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randleman's background was in collegiate wrestling, in which he ...

and

also appear in the film. Rutten states during the documentary that due to Kerr's ability to end fights quickly, the Pride tournament directors were removing all of Kerr's 'weapons' (notably head-butts and knees to the head of a grounded opponent) in an attempt to make the fights last longer for television and crowd satisfaction. On December 13, 2023, it was announced that

will produce a biopic of Kerr titled '' The Smashing Machine'', borrowing its title from the HBO documentary.

is set to star as Kerr, and

Emily Blunt Emily Olivia Laura Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is a British actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Emily Blunt, several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition t ...

to star as Staples, with

Benny Safdie Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986) is an American filmmaker, film editor, and actor. He and his elder brother, Josh, have directed the films '' Heaven Knows What'' (2014), '' Good Time'' (2017), and '' Uncut Gems'' (2019). Transitioning ...

set to direct. The film is set to be released on October 3, 2025.

Personal life

Kerr married Dawn Staples in 2000. The couple shares a son. By 2015, Kerr and Staples were no longer together. As of 2010, Kerr considered himself "99.9 percent retired" and was pursuing a degree with an eye on pharmaceutical sales. As of 2015, he was working at a

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

dealership. In June 2019 on a

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the ...

page, Kerr revealed that he had been battling

peripheral neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy, often shortened to neuropathy, refers to damage or disease affecting the nerves. Damage to nerves may impair sensation, movement, gland function, and/or organ function depending on which nerve fibers are affected. Neuropa ...

since 2016. Kerr is an avid

powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...

, reportedly able to

bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...

425 lb (192.5 kg) and squat 550 lb (250 kg).

Championships and accomplishments

Collegiate wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

** NCAA Division I Champion - 1992 at 190 lb out of

Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) is an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling conference. It held its first championship tournament in 1905, making it the oldest wrestling conference in the NCAA. The EIWA's charter members we ...

**Champion - 1989, 1991, 1992 at 190 lb out of

**Runner-up - 1988 at 190 lb out of

**Fletcher Award - 1991, 1992 for scoring the most team points

Freestyle wrestling

United World Wrestling United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of Wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the World Championships and Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrest ...

(FILA) **1992 World Cup - Silver medalist at 100 kg **1994 World Cup - Gold medalist at 100 kg ** 1995 Pan American Games - Silver medalist at 100 kg *

USA Wrestling USA Wrestling (formerly known as the United States Wrestling Federation and as the United States Wrestling Association) is the organization that currently governs freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States. USA Wrestling ...

**1993 World Team Trials - Winner at 100 kg **1994 World Team Trials - Winner at 100 kg **1994 Senior Freestyle Championship - Winner at 100 kg

Mixed martial arts

(UFC) ** UFC 14 Heavyweight Tournament Champion ** UFC 15 Heavyweight Tournament Champion ** UFC Encyclopedia Awards *** Knockout of the Night (Two times) *** Submission of the Night (One time) *World Vale Tudo Championship **WVC 3 Heavyweight Tournament Champion

Submission wrestling

* ADCC World Championships **Champion - 1999 at +99 kg **Champion - 2000 at +99 kg **Champion - 2000 at Absolute ** Superfight Champion, defeated

Mario Sperry Mario (; ) is a character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Japanese video game company Nintendo. ...

** ADCC Hall of Fame - 2022, inaugural class

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, ,

, TKO (punches) , M-1 Global: Breakthrough , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:25 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–10 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Vengeance FC , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Concord, North Carolina Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 105,240 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Concord is the second-most populous city in the Cha ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 (1) , Ralph Kelly , TKO (punches) , Xp3: The Proving Ground , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:11 ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 (1) , Tracy Willis , Submission (guillotine choke) , C-3 Fights: Contenders , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 , Concho, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7 (1) ,

, Submission (kneebar) , YAMMA Pit Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 (1) , Chuck Huus , Submission (keylock) , CCCF: Battle on the Border , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

Newkirk, Oklahoma Newkirk is a city in and the county seat of Kay County, Oklahoma, Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,172 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. History Newkirk is on land known as the Cherokee Outlet (popularly ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6 (1) , Steve Gavin , Submission (armlock) , WCO: Kerr Vs. Gavin , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6 (1) , Mostapha al-Turk , TKO (submission to punches) , Cage Rage 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:29 , London, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 (1) ,

Mike Whitehead Michael Joe Whitehead (born June 29, 1981) is a former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight weight classes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, IFL, Affliction, and Strikeforce. Mixed mart ...

, TKO (punches) , IFL: World Championship Semifinals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 (1) , Yoshihisa Yamamoto , KO (slam) , Pride 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

Osaka, Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–3 (1) ,

, TKO (knees) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:56 ,

Saitama, Saitama is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Pride 12 - Cold Fury , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 (1) , Igor Borisov , Submission (can opener) , Pride 10 - Return of the Warriors , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

Tokorozawa, Saitama is a Cities of Japan, city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,298 in 168,939 households and a population density of 4761 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 (1) ,

, Decision (majority) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , NC , align=center, 11–0 (1) ,

, NC (illegal knees) , Pride 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:36 ,

Yokohama, Kanagawa is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,

Nobuhiko Takada Nobuhiko Takada (, ring name: ) (born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and the Uni ...

, Submission (kimura) , Pride 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Hugo Duarte , TKO (retirement) ,

Pride 4 The year 1998 was the 2nd year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 1998 had 3 events beginning with, ''Pride 2''. Debut Pride FC fighters The following fighters fought their first ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:32 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Pedro Otavio , Technical Submission (kimura) ,

Pride 3 The year 1998 was the 2nd year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 1998 had 3 events beginning with, ''Pride 2''. Debut Pride FC fighters The following fighters fought their first ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

Branko Cikatic Branko (Cyrillic script: Бранко; ) is a South Slavic male given name found in all of the former Yugoslavia. It is related to the names Branimir and Branislav, and the female equivalent is Branka. People named Branko include: * Branko (DJ), ...

, DQ (rope grabbing) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Dwayne Cason , Submission (rear-naked choke) , rowspan=2, UFC 15 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 , rowspan=2, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Greg Stott , KO (knee) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 ,

, Submission (chin to the eye) , rowspan=2, UFC 14 , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 , rowspan=2,

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Moti Horenstein , TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:22 , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Fabio Gurgel , Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=3, World Vale Tudo Championship 3 , rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 30:00 , rowspan=3, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mestre Hulk , DQ (crawling out of the ring) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, TKO (knees and punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

Submission wrestling record

References

External links

* *
The Smashing Machine
' (2002) at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

*
Mark Kerrarchive
at

National Wrestling Hall of Fame The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. History The museum was awarded to Stil ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Mark 1968 births Living people Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Mixed martial artists from Ohio Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Syracuse Orangemen wrestlers Wrestlers at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in wrestling Bettendorf High School alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters ADCC Hall of Fame inductees American submission wrestlers ADCC Submission Fighting World Champions (men) American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent American people of Irish descent 20th-century American sportsmen