Kerr

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Jonathan Snowden has the story, but is double dipping, spreading it around to his various peoples.

At Inside Fights we get a career chronology.

Once he got started, Kerr quickly established himself as one of the most dominating fighters on the face of the planet. While Kerr enjoyed the monetary compensation, he found out right away that the fight game was far from glamorous. His first fight tournament was in Brazil, hidden away in the basement of a hotel. From there he moved immediately into the UFC where he won consecutive tournaments at UFC 14 and 15.

Then trouble started. Kerr’s contract called for one more tournament, but the UFC wanted to go another direction and book single bouts. Kerr saw an opening and looked to escape his UFC contract for greener pastures in Japan with the newly formed PRIDE Fighting Championships.

"They sued me in federal court and put me through every circumstance you could imagine," Kerr said. "I’d get a phone call that would say you have to be in New York city to be deposed tomorrow. I’d pay $1000 on airline tickets and then they’d ask me three questions and send me home. It was ugly."

In the end, Kerr bought the contract out and became an immediate icon in Japan for PRIDE. Most people in the sport considered him the best heavyweight in the world. Looking back, it’s hard to see that in retrospect. Kerr was an amazing wrestler and a solid all-around fighter. Unfortunately, he never faced the level of competition that would have allowed him to prove his worth. His first 11 opponents had a combined record of 60-51-2. More than half of the wins came courtesy of Pedro Otavio and Dan Bobish.

Over at the Fight Network it's a candid interview touching on why he didn't do works and why drug testing can save lives. 

Fight Network:  You fought PRIDE legend Nobuhiko Takada right after his worked bout with Mark Coleman.  Was there ever any pressure on you to throw the fight?

Mark Kerr:  I don't agree with it, but I can't fault him for it.  It paid dividends for him.  He sacrificed a little but it gained him so much.  I made it perfectly clear that it was my reputation and my integrity on the line.  I made it clear to them that there was no way I would ever compromise it for financial gain.  It would be too hard for me to carry that to bed every night.  

 

We'll have Kerr's thoughts on Kurt Angle and his own battle with drugs tonight here at Cageside Seats.