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MMA Icon Praises Biopic's Authentic Portrayal of His Turbulent Career
5 Oct
Summary
- Mark Kerr, the MMA fighter who inspired the biopic "The Smashing Machine," says the film is "incredible" and "authentically" depicts his life story.
- Kerr was moved to tears after watching an unfinished cut of the film with director Benny Safdie.
- The movie explores Kerr's rise and fall, including his opiate addiction and fraught relationship with his ex-wife.
In October 2025, the highly anticipated biopic "The Smashing Machine" about legendary MMA fighter Mark Kerr hit theaters. And according to Kerr himself, the film is an incredibly accurate representation of his life and career.
Directed by Benny Safdie, the gritty sports drama stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Kerr, chronicling the fighter's rise and fall from 1997 to 2000. The movie explores Kerr's impressive performances in early MMA tournaments, his first devastating loss, and his battle with opiate addiction, as well as his fraught relationship with his ex-wife, Dawn Staples.
Kerr, who served as a key consultant on the project, says he was deeply moved after watching an unfinished cut of the film with Safdie and his brother. "We stood up, crying, and then I'm hugging Benny," Kerr recalls. He was amazed by how "authentically as possible" the movie captured the true story, with only a few minor changes to certain pivotal scenes.
The film's depiction of Kerr's emotional breakdown after his first loss, as well as the harrowing domestic dispute with Dawn, were particularly powerful for the MMA icon. "Watching a movie of my time back then and watching me, I could actually sit there in the movie theater and clearly see my part better than I ever have," Kerr says.
While the movie doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of Kerr's life, it also highlights the important lessons he learned from his opponents and the growth he experienced, even in the face of adversity. As Safdie explains, "I realized that his process of recovery, both from drugs but also just bad feelings and emotional clarity, was very beautiful."
