The UFC Corridor of Fame Ceremony final night time served as a platform to honor MMA legend Mark Kerr, who was inducted into the Corridor of Fame, and likewise to preview the extremely anticipated movie The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt.
The Smashing Machine
As Mark Kerr took his rightful place amongst MMA’s biggest, the highlight additionally shone on the staff behind the upcoming movie impressed by his life. The Rock and Emily Blunt walked the pink carpet alongside Kerr, sharing heartfelt phrases in regards to the man and the journey that introduced all of them collectively. On the significance of honoring MMA legends, The Rock mentioned:
“It was vital to me and to Emily to pay tribute to Mark due to the life he lived… What a chance it’s for Mark, for us to acknowledge Mark and the highway that he paved… Mark mentioned one thing to me earlier. I mentioned, ‘How do you are feeling?’ He mentioned, ‘Acceptance.’ Yeah, it’s a giant deal, and I’m very proud.”
Emily Blunt on Discovering MMA and the Human Battle
Emily Blunt, who performs Daybreak Staples, Mark Kerr’s accomplice and now spouse, within the movie, spoke with admiration and deep respect about her journey into the world of MMA. When requested if she was now a UFC fan, Blunt responded:
“Now, I imply, the respect and reverence for me is simply—I don’t even know the right way to kind phrases about it. To have realized a lot about it, to have immersed myself in that world, to have performed somebody who was on the receiving finish of lots of what comes with that world, was actually poignant. The movie actually explores the human battle of what goes on behind the scenes—the sort of psychological fortitude you need to have, the endurance, the strain. Each combat is a brand new mountain vary. The fallout from that, what occurs afterwards, win or lose, was so fascinating to me on a human stage.”
Blunt’s phrases highlighted the emotional and psychological challenges confronted by fighters and their family members—a theme on the coronary heart of The Smashing Machine. She continued:
“I believed a lot about worry—it’s one thing that I might by no means think about moving into a hoop and figuring out that somebody might damage you badly sufficient that you’d lose, after which what occurs after the loss, and the strain of needing to win. I used to be simply so fascinated by the world and in awe of it, of the braveness.”
The Accountability of Telling a True Story
Each The Rock and Emily Blunt emphasised the accountability they felt in portraying actual folks and actual relationships. The Rock famous the closeness they developed with Kerr and his household all through the filmmaking course of. Blunt’s method to her position was marked by empathy and a want to honor the reality, she mentioned:
“It’s a accountability—an unimaginable accountability—as a result of it is a actual man, actual girl, actual relationship, residing an actual life, going via ups and downs, demons and angels.”
The Rock additionally mirrored on the broader impression of Kerr’s story, particularly for audiences within the Pacific area. He defined:
“The vital factor about Mark is, sure, he was an MMA legend, a pioneer, one of many godfathers, and had this unimaginable profession that will get capped off fantastically tonight on this unimaginable acknowledgement that’s so earned. However Mark’s story is a common story that little youngsters—Pacific Island youngsters, little Samoans, tiny Mu—no matter it’s, his story is one thing that resonates with me and for folks all world wide.”
The film The Smashing Machine is about for launch in theaters on October 3, 2025
