Mark Kerr openly admits that steroids were part of his strategy in an era of lax drug testing.
Mark Kerr, born on December 21, 1968, in Toledo, Ohio, emerged as one of the most dominant forces in mixed martial arts during the late 1990s.
Nicknamed “The Smashing Machine,” Kerr’s impressive resume includes being a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a formidable competitor in Japan’s PRIDE Fighting Championships.
Before transitioning to MMA, Kerr established himself as an elite wrestler, winning an NCAA Division I championship at Syracuse University, claiming multiple medals in freestyle wrestling at the World Cup, and earning silver at the Pan American Games.
Kerr’s wrestling journey began at Bettendorf High School in Iowa, where he shared the training room with future UFC champion Pat Miletich.
His MMA debut came at World Vale Tudo Championship 3 in January 1997, where he quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with, defeating UFC veteran Paul Varelans in just two minutes.
However, his career trajectory changed after a controversial bout with Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 7, which resulted in a no-contest ruling due to illegal knee strikes.
Though officially not a loss, this moment marked a turning point in Kerr’s career and confidence.
After a string of defeats in Pride, Kerr took time away from the sport, later attempting several comebacks with diminishing success before retiring in 2009 with a record that showed a dramatic contrast between his early dominance and later struggles.
Beyond MMA, Kerr also excelled in submission wrestling, winning four ADCC World Championships and earning induction into the ADCC Hall of Fame in 2022.
His combat sports journey showcased both incredible athletic achievements and the physical toll of competing at the highest levels.
Steroids Helped Build ‘The Smashing Machine’—But They Also Tore Mark Kerr Apart
Behind Kerr’s phenomenal success in the ring lay a darker reality – his extensive use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Kerr himself has been candid about this aspect of his career, offering a revealing glimpse into the early days of MMA when drug testing was minimal or nonexistent.
In interviews, Kerr has stated that he remained clean throughout his amateur wrestling career:
“Up to the age of 27, I didn’t touch any PEDs at all. I went through all my Olympics, all my NCAA stuff taking no chemicals whatsoever.”
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His decision to begin using performance-enhancing drugs coincided with his transition to MMA, which he attributes partly to fear of the unknown. Kerr admitted,
“I think part of it was me having a little bit of fear from not knowing what was going to happen or take place. I went ahead and experimented with anabolics and androgenics.”
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Kerr’s steroid use escalated as his fighting career progressed. He revealed,
“On my first fight in Brazil, I was on a small dose of anabolics. When I went into the UFC, I thought of stepping it up another gear.”
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The results were dramatic – at his physical peak, Kerr weighed approximately 275 pounds with just 5% body fat.
He described his enhanced strength in colorful terms:
“I could bench press a small car and can squat a small house. It was totally overkill.”
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The lax oversight from organizations, particularly in Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships, enabled Kerr’s continued PED use. Kerr explained,
“I think PRIDE just wanted the finished product. They never particularly cared how it got there. They wanted you to look good. They wanted you to perform well, but they didn’t particularly care if you ended up taking X, Y, or Z to get in the ring.”
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Even in the UFC, which today maintains stringent anti-doping protocols, the early days featured much more lenient attitudes.
Kerr recounted an interaction with a UFC doctor regarding his concerning blood work:
“I remember sitting across the table from the doctor and the doctor looking at my liver enzymes. When you do anabolic steroids and you do them in high amounts, it messes with your liver enzymes.”
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Despite noting levels eight times the normal amount, the doctor merely informed Kerr of the issue and allowed him to compete.
Kerr’s steroid use was just one component of a larger substance abuse problem that nearly cost him his life.
His addiction extended to painkillers, narcotics, and methadone – substances he initially used to avoid proper rehabilitation from injuries. He admitted,
“Instead of doing rehabilitation the shortcut for me was just take narcotics, steroids and take painkillers and train. I didn’t know what chemical dependency was to the point that if I didn’t consume on a daily basis I would get violently ill.”
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His substance abuse spiraled to life-threatening levels in October 1999 when he suffered an overdose. Recalling the harrowing experience, he said,
“It shut down my respiration and shut down my heart rate. You get to a point where you’re not taking in enough oxygen and your blood becomes like acid.”
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The overdose left lasting physical and psychological effects, with Kerr experiencing sleep disturbances for a year afterward:
“I would hop out of sleep trying to catch my breath like I was drowning. It was absolutely horrific.”
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The combination of steroids and other substances had devastating effects on Kerr’s personal life as well, contributing to the deterioration of his marriage to former Playboy model Dawn Staples.
Their relationship, which he described as “toxic, crazy and unhealthy,” featured physical altercations and verbal fighting before ending in divorce in 2006 after six years.
Kerr’s story has garnered renewed attention with the upcoming biographical film “The Smashing Machine,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Kerr.
The film, directed by Benny Safdie and slated for release on October 3, 2025, promises to explore Kerr’s rise to MMA prominence alongside his battles with substance abuse and personal demons.
Today, Kerr has achieved sobriety and rebuilt his life. “I’ve been sober for a while now and completely off everything but it’s been a long process,” he says.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Mark Kerr appeared in a 2002 HBO documentary titled “The Smashing Machine,” which detailed his MMA career and substance abuse struggles before the upcoming A24 film.
- After retiring from fighting, Mark Kerr worked as a car dealer at a Toyota dealership and later ran a company that provided fitness equipment.
- Mark Kerr has a son named Bryce (who was 19 as of the time the information was written) from his marriage to Dawn Staples.
