Mark Kerr (fighter): Difference between revisions

{{short description|American wrestler and mixed martial artist (born 1968)}}

| birth_place = [[Toledo, Ohio]], United StatesU.S.

| height = 6  ft 3 in

| reach_in = 78

| style = [[Wrestling]]

| wrestling = ''[[NCAA Division I]] [[CollegiateWrestling wrestlingChampionships#1987–1998|WrestlingNCAA Division I Champion]]''

| updated = {{start date|20112023|0312|1916}}

|weight=255  lb}}

{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}

{{MedalSport|Men's [[Submissionfreestyle grapplingwrestling]]}}

{{MedalCompetition|[[ADCC Submission Wrestling World ChampionshipCup|World Cup]]s}}

{{MedalGold|19991994 Abu DhabiEdmonton|+99100 kg<ref name=":6"/>}}

Mark Kerr was born in [[Toledo, Ohio]] to Tom and Mary Kerr.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hudson|first1=David|title=Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts|date=13 May 2009|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0313343834|page=169|edition=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LmhFCQAAQBAJ&q=mark+kerr+born+in+toledo&pg=PA169|access-date=21 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Thomas V. Kerr Obituary|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/toledoblade/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-v-kerr&pid=95305311&fhid=5503|website=legacy.com|access-date=21 November 2016}}</ref> His father was [[Irish Americans|Irish]], and his mother was [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]].<ref>{{Cite webmagazine |last=Gross |first=Josh |title=Former MMA champ Mark Kerr reflects on his career |url=https://www.si.com/mma/2015/05/21/mark-kerr-former-mma-champ-reflects-on-career-future |access-date=2022-08-09 |websitemagazine=Sports Illustrated |date=21 May 2015 |language=en-us}}</ref> From early childhood, he would dream of being in the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] and would hold mock fights with his younger siblings in the back yard.

===College and post-graduate career===

While training as an amateur wrestler, Kerr became interested in [[mixed martial arts]] as a way to earn money. He, his long-time friend and training partner [[Mark Coleman]] and [[Tom Erikson]] were initially scouted by Richard Hamilton, who had managed [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]] fighter [[Don Frye]] until a falling out and was now offering a place in [[UFC 10]] against him.<ref name=Total>Jonathan Snowden, ''Total Mma: Inside Ultimate Fighting''</ref> However, nothing came from it, and Coleman ended up hunting down the chance.<ref>Jeremy Wall, ''UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top 10''</ref><ref>Bret Aita, Erich Krauss, ''Brawl: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Mixed Martial Arts Competition''</ref> Eventually, Kerr and Hamilton arranged for the former to train with Coleman and fight at Brazilianthe [[Brazil]]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.<ref name=Rel>[https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/Vale-Tudo-Relics-The-Birth-of-The-Smashing-Machine-87723 Vale Tudo Relics: The Birth of The Smashing Machine]</ref><ref name=si>[https://www.si.com/mma/2015/05/21/mark-kerr-former-mma-champ-reflects-on-career-future His Smashing Machine days over, Mark Kerr reflects on then and now]</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.<ref name=si/>

After his loss to [[Yoshihisa Yamamoto (wrestler)|Yoshihisa Yamamoto]], Kerr was supposed to make his comeback against [[Wes Sims (fighter)|Wes Sims]] in the American Championship Fighting (ACF) on May 6, 2006 at the [[Denver Coliseum]], but was not medically cleared to fight due to a hand injury.

On August 28, 2009, Kerr faced fellow wrestler [[Muhammed Lawal]] 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]], in the post-fight discussion, suggested that it was time for Kerr to "find another vocation".{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}} Kerr has only won four of his 15 fights since 2000 and has lost each of his last five fights.<ref name="sherdog">{{cite web |author=Sherdog.com |url=http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mark-Kerr-71 |title=Fight Finder – Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr's Mixed Martial Arts Statistics |publisher=Sherdog.com |access-date=2009-08-29}}</ref>

In 20032002, [[HBO]] aired a documentary titled ''[[The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr|The Smashing Machine]]'', directed by [[John Hyams]], 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 [[mixed martial arts]] competition. Kerr's then-girlfriend, Dawn Staples, and mixed-martial artists [[Bas Rutten]], [[Kevin Randleman]] and [[Mark Coleman]] also appear in the film. [[Bas Rutten]] states clearly 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.

*World'''[[Ultimate Vale TudoFighting Championship]]''' '''(UFC)'''

**[[ListWVC of UFC champions#Tournament winners|UFC 153 Heavyweight Tournament Winner]]Champion

=== Submission wrestling record ===

| align=center| {{nowrap|15–11 (1)}}

| KOTKO (punches)

| Submission (americanakeylock)

| Submission (kimuraarmlock)

| TKOKO (punchesslam)

| Submission (neckcan crankopener)

| DQ (rope grabbing the ropes)