Mark Kerr MMAMemories.com Exclusive Biofile Published by Scoop Malinowski Last Updated on January 2nd, 2009

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Status: MMA Legend.

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 245

DOB: December 21, 1968 In: Toledo, Ohio

Childhood Heroes: “Tony Dorsett, Bruce Jenner, and of course, my mom (Mary).”

Nicknames: “Sparky – I was a little pyro as a kid. Tonto – when I got a Mohawk in college. Maquina de Bater – from when I fought in Brazil, it means, Smashing Machine.”

Favorite Movies: “Dangerous Liaisons, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Seinfeld is one. I’m a Discovery Channel, National Georgraphic type of guy. National Geographic Explorer is one of my favorites.”

Musical Tastes: “Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Creed, Led Zeppelin, Metallica.”

Childhood Dream: “I always thought I’d be an Olympic gold medalist in something.”

Early Fighting Memory: “My first over to Yokohama, Japan in 1998. How the crowd reacted. Pretty phenomenal. Felt like a rock star. First coming out into the arena, people were tugging at me, touching, pawing, asking to take pictures and for autographs. Pretty wild. It was pretty cool. Then I fought Branco Citivic, who got disqualified. I went out to maul him. He elbowed me in the back of the head. In the three minutes that the fight lasted I estimate that he did it about 50 times. If you ever see it on film, you just go, like, What the fuck?! Pretty cool night though.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “I think about the first thirty seconds. How I want it to go, the pace, the intensity. Visualize control. And my breathing. Know what it’s going to feel like when I first walk into the arena. When I first step into the ring. When I’m first standing across from him – what my first reaction to him will be. All that stuff. It’s weird sometimes, how you can look in a guy’s eyes and tell what’s gonna happen. You can almost smell fear. My first fight against Paul Varelans (’97 in Brazil) I could detect just by looking in his eyes…that he just felt like he couldn’t win. And the referee stopped it two minutes into the fight.”

First Job: “LMHA – Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority clean up. I was the weed whacker (age 16).”

First Car: “Mazda 323 1988, four-door (blue).”

Favorite Meal: “Steak on the grill, medium rare. With a side potato, everything on it. A nice, garden salad. Steamed vegetables.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I’d have to go with the basics – Wheaties.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Rocky Road.”

Greatest Career Moment: “It’s when I won the all-around (Absolute Division) over at Abu Dhabi in Dubai (2000). I beat a whole bunch of guys all at the same event – Ricco Rodriguez, Rigan Machado, Sean Alvarez, Ricardo Almeida, Josh Barnett. I competed eight times over two days – three the first day then five the second day. The last one was against Sean Alvarez. I beat him on points. This was at the United Arab Emirates. The King’s son – the Crowned Prince (Sheik Tahnoon) – holds the event. He got interested in Jiu-Jitsu. They raffled off a Porsche Boxster, a Range Rover, two brand new Jet Skis – to get fans to come and the Crowned Prince bought them all. Wasn’t that cool? Then the whole event is televised. It’s pretty interesting over there. I call it The Billionaire Boy’s Club. The Crowned Prince’s father has more money than he could spend in 100 lifetimes.”

Most Painful Moment: “My first loss against Fujita, it happened in the Tokyo Dome (2000). I kicked his ass for ten minutes, then ran out of gas. Then I just laid in the ring and he just kicked, kneed and punched me for five minutes. Pretty low moment. I don’t know if I underestimated the training or him. Just a lot of different things going on at the time. I’m just glad I didn’t get hurt worse. Live to fight another day.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Maui.”

Last Halloween Costume: “Hahaahaha. I think it was a Buddhist monk.”

Favorite Fights: “In the early days, Mark Coleman vs. Don Frye. Some of Royce’s early fights. Sakuraba vs. Royce in the Grand Prix 2000 – that fight went 45 minutes.”

Favorite Fighters To Watch: “I really like Josh Barnett. He’s a tough kid who’s worked so hard. Sakuraba – extremely talented. Minotaura is like Sakuraba – but he’s fifty pounds heavier.”

Funny Fighting Memory: “When you’re in a fight there aren’t too many funny things happening. I can only think of one. When Gary Goodridge was fighting (vs. The Pedro). And Gary reached down into his shorts and squeezed his balls. And it won him the fight. Now they have the Gary Goodridge Rule. I saw it on tape. He squeezed the crap out of ‘em.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “People who are sincere, honest, who have a sense of class – whatever their socio-economic status may be. And people who talk the talk and walk the walk.”

Education: Syracuse University (Consumer Affairs).

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