MMA Roots: The Birth of ‘The Smashing Machine’

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Mark Kerr was inducted into the Pioneer Wing of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame on June 26. Fans who did not follow the sport before it blossomed into its current form almost certainly will not understand what he meant to mixed martial arts between his January 1997 debut and his first loss in Pride Fighting Championships in May 2000.

The “Baddest Man on the Planet” designation has become overused in modern MMA and more of a synonym for the reigning heavyweight champion. That was not the case with Kerr, who was undoubtedly the most feared man in the sport during the three years in which he remained undefeated. It went beyond the victories and mainly involved the impressive manner with which he crushed his opponents. His was a more frightening version of Mark Coleman’s ground-and-pound, and it made him look like a “Smashing Machine.” That was the title of the article I wrote for Tatame after covering his debut at World Vale Tudo Championship 3.

I witnessed the event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, not long after sitting cageside and watching the impressive David-versus-Goliath showdown between Murilo Bustamante and the much larger Tom Erikson in Birmingham, Alabama. After a 40-minute war that saw Erikson dominate but fail to submit Bustamante, the bout ended in a draw but with the Carlson Gracie black belt seriously hurt. Soon after, I wrote an editorial for Tatame warning that someone could die, that vale tudo times were over and that it was past time to set weight divisions.

Interestingly enough, I traveled to WVC 3 two months later and rode to the show with Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Fernando Gurgel, the brother of Fabio Gurgel. Fernando told me that everyone expected the final match to be between Fabio and “wrestling’s big dude,” who was rumored to be even better than Erikson and Coleman. After a six-hour trip from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo, I found out backstage that the American was concerned with vale tudo’s level of violence, going so far as to promise to give up if he started to bleed.

The atmosphere at the Maksoud Plaza Hotel—it was packed with nearly a thousand people—was fraught with tension and anticipation given the absolute war between Bustamante and Erikson. Despite being rivals in jiu-jitsu, Fabio and Bustamante became close friends when they represented their discipline against luta livre in 1991. After spending a month training with Rickson Gracie in California, Fabio received some valuable advice from Bustamante, who traveled to Sao Paulo to be in his friend’s corner.

Before they could meet in the final, however, the 190-pound Fabio and the 250-pound Kerr had to beat the two opponents in front of them. Kerr started his run by throwing UFC veteran Paul Varelans to the mat and quickly passing guard, at which point he unloaded with punches and knees until the referee intervened 2:06 into the match. In the semifinals, he needed even less time to take down Sidney Goncalves Freitas, who tried to escape from the ring and wound up getting two of his teeth punched out by the American. It resulted in a cut on Kerr’s hand. Freites later fell out of the ring and refused to climb back in, resulting in a disqualification. On the other side of the bracket, UFC alum Pat Smith shamelessly grabbed the ropes and refused to stop in his quarterfinal with Fabio. He also was disqualified. Fabio faced Michael Pacholik in the semis and punched him into submission in less than five minutes.

In the final, Kerr exploited his weight advantage of some 60 pounds. He took down Fabio inside the first minute and went into berserker mode, dropping punches, hammerfists and a headbutt that opened a massive cut and compromised the Brazilian’s vision in his left eye. Kerr then tried a stomp and silenced the crowd by landing in side control. Next to the ring, Bustamante, Royler Gracie and even Marco Ruas—Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s chief rival at the time—joined Fabio’s mentor, Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti, in cheering on their countryman, who did all he could to resist Kerr’s ground-and-pound.

Nineteen minutes in, Fabio attacked with an attempted armbar and triangle choke. Kerr defended well and passed guard once again. From there, the American’s efforts proved even more fruitful, as he basically disfigured Fabio and ended any hopes the fans may have had in a rally. At the 30-minute mark, the fight—which was not supposed to have a time limit—was stopped, as doctors declared that Fabio was unfit to continue. After the match, an emotional Fabio grabbed the microphone and reiterated that he would never quit and was willing to lose his sight if that was what was necessary to defend jiu-jitsu’s honor.

Afterward, I had the chance to speak with Kerr’s manager, Richard Hamilton, who was also managing Coleman and Erikson. I asked him about the training sessions between the three, and his answer provided a glimpse into what the combat sports world could expect to see from the man who had just beaten Fabio. “Without a doubt,” Hamilton said, “Kerr is the most talented wrestler that I’ve ever worked with, and for vale tudo, he has the greatest potential of them all.” Time would prove him right.

I was so impressed with Kerr’s performance that when I wrote the report for Tatame, I nicknamed him “Maquina de Bater.” It ended up being the headline on the cover of the magazine. The UFC color commentator liked it and, six months later, introduced him to American fans as “Maquina de Bater” in Portuguese. When translated to English, it meant “Smashing Machine.” Kerr lived up to the nickname by obliterating Moti Horenstein and Dan Bobish in less than four minutes to win the UFC 14 heavyweight tournament. Three months later, he needed less than two minutes to annihilate Greg Stott and Dwayne Cason to repeat at UFC 15. Kerr then signed with Pride FC.

In the years that followed, it was no exaggeration to say that Kerr established himself as the most feared man on the planet. I followed the “Smashing Machine” era closely. Instead of relying on his ground-and-pound, Kerr looked to add new layers to his game. In 1998, I interviewed him after a training session with Ruas and Bas Rutten in Beverly Hills, California, where he made it clear that he was learning new techniques on the ground and in the standup. I was ringside in 1999, when Kerr destroyed Hugo Duarte at Pride 4. That same year, Kerr and Belfort were joined by Romario—the best soccer player in the world at the time—for an interview with Tatame. It was one of the best-selling issues in the magazine’s history.

Also in 1999, I met with Kerr at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships, where he risked his name and fame against some of the top grapplers alive. He struck gold in the over 99-kilogram division. A year later, he returned to the prestigious competition and won gold in his weight class and also in the Absolute division. In 2011, Kerr defeated Mario Sperry in an ADCC superfight. I was also there to see the decline of “The Smashing Machine,” as he faced Ricardo Arona in a superfight at the first ADCC event away from Abu Dhabi. Already carrying extra weight around his midsection and clearly not in his best shape, Kerr was taken down and defeated by “The Brazilian Tiger.”

Kerr’s rapid rise and subsequent downfall—largely attributed to opioid addiction—has returned to the spotlight thanks to a forthcoming biopic about him. Directed by Benny Safdie and produced by A24 studio, “The Smashing Machine” will be released in theaters on Oct. 3 and stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Kerr. Perhaps it can pay proper homage to one of the most dominant competitors in MMA history.