Dwayne Johnson may be playing Mark Kerr in A24’s upcoming biopic “The Smashing Machine,” but now the actor is even taking an active part in the MMA legend’s legacy.
That’s because The Rock was on hand to help induct Kerr into the UFC Hall of Fame on Thursday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas alongside co-star Emily Blunt. Kerr is now the 21st member of the sport’s Pioneer Era Wing.
Johnson stars as the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament champion in Benny Safdie’s sports drama, which is set to premiere this October. Meanwhile, Blunt portrays Kerr’s then-girlfriend Dawn Staples, with a cast that also includes Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk.
Director Safdie also wrote, produced and edited the film. Additional producers include Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Eli Bush and David Koplan.
A24 has described the film as “a drama based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career. He struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.”
Other athletes and industry icons in the 2025 UFC HoF class include two-division champ Amanda Nunes, former Middleweight champions Israel Adesanya and Robbie Lawler, former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum, former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort and Emmy Award-winning producer Craig Piligian.
“The Smashing Machine” hits theaters on Oct. 3.