Mark Kerr’s career won’t soon be forgotten.
During Saturday’s UFC 316 broadcast, it was announced that Kerr, 56, is set to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Pioneer Wing at a ceremony on June 28 in Las Vegas. The two-time UFC heavyweight tournament winner was in attendance at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., to watch a video tribute, which can be seen below.
The news comes at a time when Kerr’s mainstream recognition is at an all-time high. A biopic about the fighter’s life titled The Smashing Machine is scheduled to be released on Oct. 3, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson bringing his story to life.
If there was any doubt that the timing of Kerr’s Hall of Fame induction is meant to coincide with The Smashing Machine’s hype, it was also announced Saturday that Johnson will be the one to deliver an induction speech for Kerr on June 28.
Kerr was a star in the UFC’s early days, winning heavyweight tournaments for the promotion at UFC 14 and UFC 15 in 1997. Living up to his nickname, the Ohio native brutalized his opposition, winning all but one of his first 11 fights in the first round. Unfortunately for Kerr, he was unable to maintain that success as a loss to Kazuyuki Fujita in 2000 signaled the start of his downfall.
After that defeat, Kerr only won three of his last 13 fights before retiring in 2009 with a 15-11 (1 NC) record.
Kerr also played a major role in helping the now-famous Abu Dhabi Combat Club competitions from getting off the ground. The Division-I champion wrestler won ADCC tournaments in 1999 and 2000 and was later part of the organization’s inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2022.
When Kerr steps on stage at T-Mobile Arena for the UFC Hall of Fame, he joins 2025 inductees Vitor Belfort (Pioneer Wing), Amanda Nunes and Robbie Lawler (Modern Wing), a UFC 236 title clash between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum (Fight Wing), and producer Craig Piligian (Contributor Wing).
Other Pioneer Wing members include Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, and Anderson Silva.
