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61-1014: The Anacondas were one of four teams competing in the IFL 's inaugural season. As of March 2007, the Anacondas were the only IFL team to hold two perfect sweeps (5 wins and no losses) over opposing teams (the Tokyo Sabres on September 9, 2006 and the San Jose Razorclaws on March 17, 2007). During the inaugural 2007 IFL Grand Prix, the Anacondas had the most members from their team participate with an astounding four out of five members. The Anacondas were 20-15 as of August 2007 in team competition. Reached 2007 IFL Semifinals (lost to Quad City Silverbacks) All records were IFL fights only = fought as an intraleague superfight that does not go towards team record = fought as an alternate bought that does not go towards team record = fought when Pyle

122-460: A 17% rise over the previous record of 0.6. However this episode was criticized by MMA journalists and fans, saying it glorified violence and brutality. Kurt Otto apologized to fans, their fighters and coaches, and critics for the content of that show, and that "we made a mistake with some parts of the show, but we will learn from this and grow." On February 5, 2008, the IFL announced a partnership with

183-407: A battle of former ADCC champions. On August 28, 2009, Kerr faced fellow wrestler Muhammed Lawal at an M-1 Global event. Kerr was taken down and subsequently pounded into unconsciousness in just 25 seconds, receiving several blows to the head after he was clearly unable to defend himself. This led the event's TV commentators to openly speculate that Kerr's fighting career was over. Guy Mezger , in

244-472: A better view of the action. This never came to fruition as the IFL soon folded. The IFL used six weight classes: There are three other weight classes specified in the Unified Rules which the IFL does not use: flyweight (125 lb. and below), bantamweight (126–135 lb.), and super heavyweight (266 lb. and above). Mark Kerr (fighter) Mark Kerr (born December 21, 1968)

305-569: A falling out and was now offering a place in UFC 10 against him. However, nothing came from it, and Coleman ended up hunting down the chance. Eventually, Kerr and Hamilton arranged for the former to train with Coleman and fight at the Brazilian event World Vale Tudo Championship 3 in January 1997. His appearance was highly anticipated, as other wrestlers like Coleman or Erikson were already known in

366-571: A few matches in 2007 but won't start officially for the IFL until the 2008 season. The San Diego, France, South Korea and Brazil teams have yet to have a team logo and name. ³ At the 3/17 show in LA, Bas Rutten stepped down from being the coach of the LA Anacondas to become the "face/spokesperson" of the IFL as well as the co-host of the "IFL Battleground" show on MYnetwork TV. Rutten was replaced by assistant coach Shawn Tompkins. On 9/13/07 it

427-450: A matchup against fellow UFC champion Royce Gracie at Pride 2 in 1998. The match, as per Gracie's demands, would have been without time limits or referee stoppages. However, Royce pulled out after the fight had been advertised. Kerr was then slated to fight Branco Cikatic . Kerr utilized the same ground-and-pound fighting style from his previous fights, taking his opponent onto the mat and then using strikes and submissions to try to finish

488-510: A merger agreement that coincided with its acquisition of the IFL. The IFL became the parent entity as Paligent agreed to change its name to International Fight League, Inc. Subsequently, on November 29, 2006, the IFL became a publicly traded company, under the symbol IFLI. Their market capitalization as of 2006 was around $ 150 million. In September 2007, Kurtz sold his interest in the IFL. On December 20, 2007, IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto made an announcement in regards to some major changes for

549-474: A minimum of eight fights each). A planned August 15 event was canceled due to the company's financial condition as mentioned in a June 10 press release. The IFL subsequently ceased all operations. Originally Tim Kennedy was supposed to face Horwich for the IFL Middleweight title but Kennedy was called away to serve in the armed forces. Militech fighter Ryan McGivern took his place. In 2007,

610-423: A more simplified three on three format. This was designed to allow more flexibility in matchmaking, as the teams would not be confined to pick one fighter in each weight class. Instead the three fighters can be from any weight class or they can all be from the same class. The "team" concept would still be somewhat intact as the camps would compete with each other for points in a final standing. Otto also announced that

671-639: A place at the Pride Grand Prix 2000 Finals , where he fought Kazuyuki Fujita and lost by decision. At Pride 10 - Return of the Warriors Kerr defeated Igor Borisov by submission. Four months later, at Pride 12 - Cold Fury , he lost by decision in the rematch with Vovchanchyn. Kerr then lost to Heath Herring at Pride 15 via TKO. With his second loss in a row, Kerr decided to take time away from MMA. In 2004, Kerr returned to PRIDE, fighting Yoshisha Yamamoto at Pride 27 . Just 40 seconds into

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732-923: A runner-up in 1988, and won the Fletcher Award for scoring the most team points in 1991 and 1992. In 1992, Kerr came second at the World Cup , ahead of Kurt Angle . Kerr won the USA World Team Trials in 1993 and 1994, finishing 7th at the 1993 World Championships . In 1994, he won gold at the World Cup in Edmonton along with the USA Senior Freestyle Championship but did not medal at the World Championships . Kerr won silver in freestyle at

793-462: A senior at the time. After his freshman year at Bettendorf, Kerr and his family moved to Toledo, Ohio where he became a high school state champion for Toledo Waite . At Syracuse University , Kerr was the Division I champion at 190 pounds and an All-American in 1992, defeating Randy Couture 12–4 in the final. He was also a three-time EIWA champion at 190 lbs (1989, 1991, 1992) and

854-674: Is a four-time ADCC World Champion , winning his weightclass twice along with the absolute division and the Superfight Championship . In 2002, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary titled The Smashing Machine , which detailed his MMA career fighting in Vale Tudo , the UFC and PRIDE. The Smashing Machine also focused on Kerr's struggle with substance abuse, his relationships with his then-girlfriend, various training partners, and friendship with Mark Coleman . Mark Kerr

915-503: Is an American former wrestler and mixed martial artist . During his MMA career, he was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a PRIDE FC competitor. In collegiate wrestling , Kerr was an NCAA Division I champion . In freestyle wrestling , he won gold and silver medals at the World Cup and silver at the Pan American Games . In submission wrestling , Kerr

976-598: Is probably what led to him using pain killers." After his loss to Yoshihisa Yamamoto , Kerr was supposed to make his comeback against Wes Sims in the American Championship Fighting (ACF) on May 6, 2006, at the Denver Coliseum , but was not medically cleared to fight due to a hand injury. On February 11, 2007, Kerr fought Mustafa Al Turk at Cage Rage 20: 'Born 2 Fight'. Kerr lost his footing after an attempted roundhouse kick and he

1037-438: The 1995 Pan American Games . After missing out on the 1996 Olympics , losing to Kurt Angle , Kerr decided to focus on MMA. While training as an amateur wrestler, Kerr became interested in mixed martial arts as a way to earn money. He, his long-time friend and training partner Mark Coleman and Tom Erikson were initially scouted by Richard Hamilton, who had managed Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Don Frye until

1098-478: The Mark Kerr documentary The Smashing Machine . With the IFL, they intended to create a system not only to showcase mixed martial arts action but to also provide a business plan that would allow fighters a greater share of profits. In a marked contrast with the rest of the industry, instead of paying fighters only purses after fights, the IFL paid a salary and health benefits to train and fight. The team concept

1159-594: The *ISCF - International Sport Combat Federation In contrast with most mixed martial arts promotions in the United States, the IFL staged their fights in a five-roped ring similar to the one used in PRIDE . On 5/08/08 the IFL announced the unveiling of a new six sided ring that would have been used for the IFL. Nicknamed the "hex", the ring was created by Throwdown, an MMA equipment manufacturer. The ring would have been allowed more surface area to fight and gives fans

1220-434: The 2000 tournament, winning the +99 kg division again as well as the absolute division. In the +99 kg division, he defeated Josh Barnett again, Anthony Netzler, Rigan Machado , and Ricco Rodriguez . In the absolute division, he defeated Léo Vieira , Mike van Arsdale , Ricardo Almeida , and Sean Alvarez again. This earned him a Superfight Championship match in 2001 against Mário Sperry , which Kerr won. He lost

1281-401: The 2008 season. First and foremost, the team concept would be changed to instead focus on distinctive MMA camps. Otto reasoned that many of the teams did not train together, nor did many of them live in the respective cities they represented. Instead, the new concept of the IFL would focus on camps and the fighters that already train in those camps. Also changing will be the five on five format to

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1342-461: The HBO documentary. Dwayne Johnson is set to star as Kerr, and Benny Safdie is set to direct. Kerr married Dawn Staples in 2000. The couple shares a son. By 2015, Kerr and Staples were no longer together. As of 2010, Kerr considered himself "99.9 percent retired" and was pursuing a degree with an eye on pharmaceutical sales. As of 2015, he was working at a Toyota dealership. In June 2019 on

1403-456: The HDNet to air the first three events of their 2008 season live. On February 15, 2008, MyNetworkTV cancelled IFL Battleground . The IFL consisted of nine camps, all owned by the league, and each coached by a veteran MMA fighter. Originally the IFL had teams that were associated with cities but that proved to be a lark as many of the teams did not train in their respective cities nor did all

1464-549: The IFL also has occasional super fights between various fighters that do not count towards any team system and may include fighters not associated with any IFL team. So far these superfights have occurred along with their results: The IFL followed the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts established by the New Jersey Athletic Board, with several exceptions. In addition, the IFL was also sanctioned by

1525-939: The IFL has attempted to buy out several top UFC fighters. The inaugural event was held on April 29, 2006, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City , New Jersey , featuring the Quad City Silverbacks vs the Los Angeles Anacondas and the Seattle Tiger Sharks vs the New York Pitbulls , with a superfight between Jens Pulver and Cole Escovedo . On August 31, 2006, publicly traded ( OTCBB ) company, Paligent Inc., principally held by New Jersey developer and real estate industrialist Richard J. Kurtz, authorized

1586-425: The IFL made a television deal with Fox Sports Net and MyNetworkTV . This made it the first MMA promotion to appear regularly on broadcast TV in the United States. The premiere of IFL Battleground on March 12, 2007, on MyNetworkTV scored a 0.8 household rating (1.12 million viewers), and gained 250% in all key male demographics (0.7 vs. 0.2) over February. This represented a new MyNetworkTV high for male 18–34,

1647-412: The IFL of and sued them for illegally using proprietary information obtained by hiring executives from the UFC organization. The IFL shot back with their own suit claiming the UFC was threatening potential partners not to work with the IFL, including Fox Sports Net (a deal with Fox Sports was later signed before resolution of the suit). The tension between the IFL and the UFC worsened with accusations that

1708-479: The IFL revealed during a conference call that their August 15, 2008, event would feature the debut of a six-sided cage called "The Hex." This event was cancelled due to the company's financial problems, and no announcement was made in regards to when or if it would resume full-scale operations again. In July 2008, there were reports of the IFL's possible purchase by the UFC . That same month, Joe Favorito, former IFL senior vice president, cited financial troubles for

1769-426: The IFL will stay at 12 teams in the 2008 season with one or more franchises moving from their current location and at least one of them closing down. To replace the closing team will be a team coached by Mario Sperry based in either Florida or Las Vegas. On 9/25/07 IFL commissioner Kurt Otto reiterated that in the 2008 season there will only be 12 teams in the IFL with TWO new teams emerging. One of them coached by

1830-422: The IFL would extend an open invitation to any camps not already affiliated with the IFL to participate in "one off" events, where a non-IFL camp could challenge an IFL camp for supremacy. Similarly, any of the title defenses could also involve fighters who were not currently signed with the IFL in a "one off" fight. Otto announced that there would be eight shows in 2008 with no plans for a GP final. On May 8, 2008,

1891-550: The MMA community, though there were doubts about Kerr's true skills. Kerr himself was doubtful about it, to the point Hamilton had to force him to fight under the threat the Brazilian crowd might riot and kill him if he didn't show up. Kerr made his debut in MMA at WVC 3 against UFC veteran Paul Varelans . The bout lasted two minutes, with Kerr slamming Varelans with a takedown, mounting him and landing punches and knee strikes for

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1952-786: The Superfight Championship to Ricardo Arona at the 2003 edition. In recognition of his accomplishments, Kerr was one of the inaugural inductees into the ADCC Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2002, HBO aired a documentary titled The Smashing Machine , directed by John Hyams , which dealt with the life and career of Mark Kerr. The program chronicles Kerr's addiction to painkillers and the "no holds barred" aspect of early mixed martial arts competition. Kerr's then-girlfriend, Dawn Staples, and mixed-martial artists Bas Rutten , Kevin Randleman and Mark Coleman also appear in

2013-407: The UFC 14 Heavyweight tournament title. Following his success at UFC 14, Kerr was invited to compete at the next UFC tournament — UFC 15 . In this tournament, Kerr's first opponent was Greg Stott whom he defeated in 17 seconds from the opening of the fight, winning by way of knockout with a knee to his opponent's head. Advancing to the finals, Kerr fought Dwayne Cason and finished his opponent within

2074-460: The UFC came at UFC 14 where he fought in the heavyweight tournament. His first fight was against krav maga representative Moti Horenstein, and Kerr defeated his opponent by technical knockout at 2:22 of the first round. With this win Kerr advanced to the finals of the tournament where he beat Dan Bobish with a submission (chin to the eye) at 1:38 of the first round; Kerr's win over Bobish earned him

2135-480: The already mentioned Marrio Sperry and the other by Cage Rage veteran Ian Freeman. On 10/10/07 Frank Shamrock revealed that he and his team, the San Jose Razorclaws, were let go from the IFL. Shamrock thought that Razorclaw Brian Foster might still be offered a stay in the IFL but will join a different team due to his successful 2007 season and his entrance into the 2007 GP. In order to appease

2196-608: The bottom, but Kerr avoided them and kept landing punishment. The fight had no time limit, but at the 30 minute mark, seeing that Gurgel was unable to defend anymore, the judges stopped the fight and gave Kerr the win. Following his success in Brazil, Mark Kerr was invited to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship . Kerr had previously been told of the event by Coleman, who was himself a UFC tournament winner and champion by this point. Kerr's first bout in

2257-455: The bout between Erikson and Gurgel's teammate Murilo Bustamante, which happened the same year. Kerr went to the fight with a broken hand from the Hulk fight, but he had 50 pounds over Gurgel. He took Gurgel down, passed his guard with ease and bloodied him with multiple kinds of strikes. The situation prolonged itself by 19 minutes, with the Brazilian trying armlocks and triangle chokes from

2318-639: The closing of the company on July 31, 2008. Anonymous sources stated that parent company of the UFC, Zuffa , had bought the IFL. Other reports cited the UFC's airing of IFL footage on its programming, and the signing of previous IFL fighters, as an indirect confirmation of the purchase. The 2008 International Fight League season was to have had at the minimum eight events which would be based out of three main sites; Las Vegas, New Jersey and Connecticut. Each event would have two camps competing each other in three on three match-ups while at least two titles would be defended at every event (allowing each fight card to have

2379-527: The fight, Kerr attempted a double leg takedown, but accidentally spiked his head into the canvas, stunning him with Yamamoto quickly following up with punches to end the fight. With his third straight loss under the PRIDE FC banner, Kerr quit PRIDE. Speaking of Kerr's time fighting in Japan, Mark Coleman said, "Every time a fight came around he was pretty scared. He was intimidated by the whole situation and that

2440-428: The fight. Kerr was said to be an improved version of Mark Coleman because he was proficient in wrestling, submissions, and take downs, with good cardio and an ever-improving striking game under his tutelage with Bas Rutten . Around the time that Kerr entered PRIDE, many considered Kerr to be one of the top MMA Heavyweight fighters in the world. Kerr won four bouts between Pride 2 and Pride 6 . However, his status

2501-467: The fighters live in those cities as well. Thus in 2008 the IFL changed the format to revolve around existing camps and their established fighters. The camps for this season were as follows: Antonio Inoki was originally going to be the Tokyo Sabres' coach and mentor but has since been dropped by the IFL. Japanese bodybuilder Ken Yasuda is now the head coach. ² The Bulldogs will participate in

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2562-491: The film. Bas Rutten states clearly during the documentary that due to Kerr's ability to end fights quickly, the Pride tournament directors were removing all of Kerr's 'weapons' (notably head-butts and knees to the head of a grounded opponent) in an attempt to make the fights last longer for television and crowd satisfaction. On December 13, 2023, it was announced that A24 will produce a biopic of Kerr , borrowing its title from

2623-613: The first minute of the opening round, winning the UFC 15 Heavyweight tournament. Kerr's winning of the UFC 15 tournament was his last fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Following his win of UFC 15, Kerr decided to fight in Japan for the Pride Fighting Championships due to the UFC's promotional difficulties and Pride's larger paychecks. After considering an offer from Japanese promotion Shooto , Kerr signed up with Pride for

2684-549: The first round (03/17/07) lost to Brad Blackburn by KO (punch) in the first round (06/01/07) Hieron was supposed to face Rory Markham in the 2007 IFL semifinals but suffered an injury during training, thus alternate Chris Clements took the fight instead def Donnie Liles by decision (unanimous) (11/03/07) def Delson Heleno by TKO (strikes) in the first round to win the Welterweight Championship(12/29/07) lost to Rory Markham by TKO (strikes) in

2745-411: The first round (06/01/07) lost to LC Davis by decision (unanimous) (08/02/07) def Jake Ellenberger by unanimous decision (6/03/06) def Amos Sotelo by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round (9/09/06) lost to Chris Wilson by decision (unanimous) (11/02/06) def Victor Moreno by submission (rear naked choke) in the first round (02/02/07) def Donnie Liles by submission (guillotine choke) in

2806-427: The first round (06/01/07) lost to Mike Ciesnolevicz by decision (split) (08/02/07) lost to Vladimir Matyushenko by decision (unanimous) (11/03/07) lost to Ben Rothwell by TKO in 1st round (4/29/06) def Tom Howard by TKO in the first round (9/09/06) International Fight League The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the world's first MMA league . It

2867-415: The first round (08/02/07) def Ryan McGivern by TKO (strikes) in the second round (02/02/07) def Brian Foster by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round (03/17/07) def Bristol Marunde by TKO (strikes) in the first round (06/01/07) def Gerald Harris by TKO (strikes) in the first round (08/02/07) def Brent Beauparlant by KO in the first round (11/03/07) lost to Matt Horwich by TKO (strikes) in

2928-608: The first round. In 2008, Kerr launched a comeback. In March, Mark beat Chuck Huus by Submission (Keylock/Americana) at CCCF – Battle on the Border. In April, he lost to Oleg Taktarov in one round by kneebar. Two months later, Kerr was choked out in the opening round by deaf fighter Tracy Willis at a C-3 Fights show in Cocho, Oklahoma. On July 26, Ralph Kelly stopped Kerr in the first round at Xp3. On September 27, 2008, Kerr lost to fellow heavyweight Jeff Monson by rear-naked choke, in

2989-420: The many MMA critics who felt that the team concept the IFL displayed had no place in the one-on-one sport of MMA, the IFL decided to conduct an end of the year Grand Prix which would take the four best fighters of each weight class to fight it out in a mini tournament that would be conducted over two events. The first event took place on November 3, 2007, and the second on December 29, 2007. Each Grand Prix winner

3050-517: The post-fight discussion, suggested that it was time for Kerr to "find another vocation". Kerr only won four of his 15 fights since 2000 and lost his last five fights. Kerr was very successful at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships . At the 1999 tournament, he won the +99 kg division by defeating Carlos Barreto , Josh Barnett , Chris Haseman , and Sean Alvarez . Kerr returned for

3111-516: The second round (12/29/07) def Travis Wiuff by submission (heel hook) in the second round (4/29/06) lost to Jamal Patterson by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round (6/03/06) def Kazuhiro Hamanaka by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round (9/09/06) lost to Aaron Stark by submission (modified guillotine choke) in the second round (11/02/06) lost to Mike Ciesnolevicz by decision (split) (02/02/07) def Brian Ebersole by decision (split) (03/17/07) def Allan Goes by KO (punch) in

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3172-430: The stoppage. The same happened to his next opponent, Mestre Hulk, a capoeira police teacher who had become known for besting Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Amaury Bitteti . After losing two teeth to Kerr's ground and pound , Hulk crawled out of the ring, getting disqualified. Kerr then reached the finals, where he was pitted against jiu-jitsu fighter Fabio Gurgel . Again, the fight would bring echoes, this time those of

3233-545: Was announced by the IFL that Shawn Tompkins was let go from the IFL and removed from his duties as coach for the Los Angeles Anacondas . Reasoning was that Tompkins has "spread himself to thin" between his duties of coaching the Anacondas and becoming a new trainer at the Randy Couture owned gym in Las Vegas. A replacement has yet to be named. On 9/20/07 IFL commissioner Kurt Otto announced in an interview that

3294-418: Was at WW = fought during the individual GP and does not go towards team record def Erik Owings by KO in the first round (6/03/06) def Ed West by Unanimous decision (9/09/06) def Ryan Schultz by TKO (strikes) in the second round (11/02/06) def Bart Palaszewski by decision (split) (02/02/07) def Josh Odom by decision (unanimous) (03/17/07) def Shad Lierley by decision (unanimous) (06/01/07) Horodecki

3355-643: Was born in Toledo, Ohio to Tom and Mary Kerr. His father was Irish , and his mother was Puerto Rican . From early childhood, he would dream of being in the World Wrestling Federation and would hold mock fights with his younger siblings in the back yard. In 1983, Kerr began his wrestling career in Bettendorf, Iowa as a freshman at Bettendorf High School where he shared the wrestling room with another future MMA champion Pat Miletich ,

3416-442: Was crowned the first IFL champion of their weight class and awarded titles to defend during the 2008 season. As announced on September 25, 2007, the IFL underwent their very first IFL draft to find new talent to fill the ranks of fighters that were cut from their IFL contracts (due to poor records). The draft took place in the three different locations on October 13, 2007. Along with the traditional five on five team system matches

3477-496: Was founded on January 7, 2006, and closed on July 31, 2008. Instead of the established norm for MMA events, where matchups are strictly one-on-one affairs, each IFL card was a showdown between two camps of at least three fighters, each fighter fighting one match against another in the opposing camps. The IFL was founded January 7, 2006, by real- estate developer Kurt Otto and Wizard magazine founder Gareb Shamus , two well-financed devotees of mixed martial arts who were inspired by

3538-462: Was intended to be conducive for television, where episodes could be regularly produced. It had been widely speculated that the IFL, with the deep pockets of its founders, television deal and innovative business plan, would become a major circuit for MMA in North America, directly competing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship . The UFC and IFL had a hostile relationship, as the UFC accused

3599-749: Was mounted, stunned with a series of blows and submitted within the first round. Kerr was supposed to fight Sean O'Haire on August 17 in the Global Fighting Championships first show at the Mohegan Sun Arena but was cancelled due to his high blood pressure and his license was suspended indefinitely. Mark Kerr fought in the World Cage Fighting Organization (WCO) in November 2007, winning his bout against Steve Gavin by Americana after 1:39 of

3660-448: Was soon questioned after his first bout with Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 7 , in which he was knocked out by illegal knee strikes. Even though the loss was overturned and changed to a "No Contest" ruling, Kerr admitted that the initial loss had been a difficult decision for him to face. Following his fight against Vovchanchyn, Kerr fought in the Pride Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round and won over Enson Inoue . His win against Inoue earned him

3721-457: Was supposed to face Bart Palaszweski in the 2007 semifinals but suffered an injury during training, thus alternate Harris Sarmiento took the fight def Bart Palaszewski by decision (split) (11/03/07) lost to Ryan Schultz by TKO (strikes) in the first round (12/29/07) lost to Bart Palaszweski by submission (guillotine choke) in the third round (08/02/07) def Clint Coronel by decision (split) (03/17/07) def Tristan Witt by submission (armbar) in

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