A onetime NCAA wrestling champion who transitioned to MMA in 1997, Kerr’s achievements have been thrust back into the spotlight through a hotly anticipated Benny Safdie-directed biopic set for theatrical release on Oct. 3. “The Smashing Machine” stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the titular role, alongside Emily Blunt, former Bellator MMA champion Ryan Bader and ex-UFC titleholder Bas Rutten. Kerr, 56, was inducted into the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame on June 26.
Now more than 16 years removed from his final competitive appearance, a by-the-numbers look at Kerr’s career:
56: Years of age for Kerr, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, on Dec. 21, 1968. Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” was the No. 1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100 list at the time, and the average price of a gallon of gas in the United States was 34 cents.
7: Kerr wins by submission, accounting for 47% of his career total (15). His methods of choice: two kimuras, one keylock, one armlock, one can opener, one rear-naked choke and one chin to the eye.
2: Decades in which Kerr competed in mixed martial arts. He went 11-0 with one no contest in the 1990s and 4-11 in the 2000s.
11: Promotions who sought out Kerr’s services. In addition to the UFC and WVC, he suited up in Pride Fighting Championships, the International Fight League, Cage Rage, the World Cage Fighting Organization, C3 Fights, YAMMA Pit Fighting, Xp3, Vengeance Fighting Championship and M-1 Global.
19: Seconds needed for Kerr to cut down Greg Stott with a knee strike in the first round of their UFC 15 heavyweight tournament semifinal on Oct. 17, 1997. It was the fastest finish of his career.
4: Countries in which Kerr plied his mixed martial arts trade. In addition to the United States, he saw action in Japan, Brazil and England.
33: Rounds started by Kerr as a professional mixed martial artist. He went the distance on four different occasions and carried a 2-2 record in those bouts.
26: Significant strikes by which Kerr outlanded his four UFC opponents. He connected with 27 such strikes while absorbing only one of them in return.
22: Takedowns completed by Kerr across his 11 assignments in Pride. He did so on 30 attempts, giving him a success rate north of 73%.
263: Combined victories between the 11 men—Lawal, Jeff Monson, Ralph Kelly, Tracy Willis, Oleg Taktarov, Mostapha Al-Turk, Mike Whitehead, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Heath Herring, Igor Vovchanchyn and Kazuyuki Fujita—who defeated Kerr. They sport a cumulative .630 winning percentage at 263-153-4.