What Happened to Mark Kerr, Ex-UFC Champ Played by Dwayne Johnson in ‘The Smashing Machine’?

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is back at ͏fighting camp, but this time it’s not for competing under WWE. He’s preparing for his upcoming film “The Smas͏hing Mach͏ine,” which is based on the tumultuous life of a UFC fighter who began as a star but ended up in a downward spiral. Which UFC fighter he is playing you ask? It’s none other than ‘The Smashing Machine’, Mark Kerr.

Having a debut match under UFC is one of the most looked forward things for many MMA fighters. Fighting under the biggest promotion in the world is an achievement in its own place. However, sometimes people forget about the shadows that rule the dark alleyways of fame, and Mike Kerr’s life story is the perfect example of it. Let us take a stroll to the memory lane and see what happened with the UFC sensation.

The controversial life of Mike Kerr

From being one of the top figh͏ters in the United States to becoming ͏͏addicted to drugs and leavi͏ng͏ it all͏ for lo͏͏ve, Mark Kerr’s life story is nothing short of a rollercoaster͏ ride ͏th͏rough the de͏pths o͏f ͏he͏ll. Kerr began his MMA career early on while trying to become a wrestler,͏ a decision which ͏͏was not fav͏͏ored by most of ͏his family members. After some successful fights, Kerr was signed by the UFC to fight under their promotion, however, things were not as easy for the promotion back then.

UFC was forced to close its TV exposure and was banned by major cities which in turn forced the promotion to bankruptcy. Mark Kerr saw that his financial conditions would be dwindling if he stayed with UFC, so he decided to move to Pride FC (which was way ahead of UFC back then). During his reign in the Japanese promotion, he became their biggest star in a few years but this fame brought Kerr close to painkillers and drugs.

Kerr became more and more addicted to drugs. After his bout against Igor Vovchanchyn, Kerr was totally under the control of drugs which had a bad effect on his relationship with his girlfriend Dawn. After his hospitalization, Kerr knew he had to change his lifestyle and despite attempts of rehabilitation, it had minimal effects on him. Kerr’s girlfriend Dawn quotes that the addiction became so bad that one night they had an argument where she had to use Kerr’s gun to stop the fight and they were forced to break up.

Kerr understood the mistake that he committed and went on to give it a go as a final take in his MMA career. After a successful career spanning years, Kerr finally decided to take a much-needed break after he lost to Kazuyuki Fujita. However, Kerr’s story has a happy ending as well.

At the end of the day, Kerr is finally married to his Dawn Staples. ‘The Smashing Machine’ is the name of the movie in which Dwayne Johnson would be acting as Mark Kerr. In his conversation with the media, ‘The Rock’ explained that he is blessed to have a part in such a story.

Dwayne Johnson is happy to act as Mark Kerr

‘The Rock’ has been a part of Hollywood for a long time and according to him this movie will be one of his most dramatic-rollercoaster-ride movies ever. “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,”  said Johnson in a conversation with the media.

He further added, “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. I want to be clear not to say that this is an abandonment of big, four-quadrant movies. I love making them, and there is tremendous value and importance in [them], but there’s a time and a place for them. I’m at this point in my career where I want more. And I don’t mean I want more box office. I mean I want more humanity. And that is why Benny Safdie is the perfect, collaborative, hungry partner for me.”

Mark Kerr was one of the first UFC fighters to have ever experienced the horrors of mental health. A film on him would provide a better idea behind the scenes lives of the fighters. Nonetheless, What’s your opinion on the movies? State your thoughts in the comments below.