Mark Kerr, Born on December 21, 1968 in Toledo, Ohio, of Puerto Rican mother and Irish father, was once the most feared man inside the Octagon. As a child, he grew up with the obsession with the fight and for 15 years already competed in school tournaments. His talent led him to shine at the University of Syracuse, where he became champion of Division I of the NCAA in 1992. It was in that final where he defeated, nothing less, that Randy Couture, who years later would be a legend in the UFC.
However, after the reputation of being an invincible warrior, Mark Kerr struggled against constant physical pain and an addiction to analgesics who gradually descended to dark places in his life. Kerr himself acknowledges that at first rejected substances to improve performance, but that over time, in the face of uncertainty about “what was going to happen in MMA,” he began experimenting with steroids and androgenics.
The situation worsened so much that, in October 1999, he suffered an overdose and was hospitalized urgently. It was then that his closest environment, including his then partner Dawn Staples, intervened to try to rescue him. Today, at 56, Kerr lives a much quieter life, far from the spotlights. He has a son with Dawn, from whom he separated years ago, and is married to Franci Alberding, a fitness consultant.
Regarding the moviethe fighter commented on Instagram “I am very proud of the work that DJ did to become The Smashing Machine. I have a lot of gratitude, humility and respect for every small detail that production discovered. I can’t wait to share this experience with the world.”
The Smashing Machine trailer
