Sherdog’s Top 10: Might Have Beens

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6. Mark Kerr

An NCAA national champion wrestler at Syracuse University in 1992, Kerr crafted a pretty decent MMA legacy for himself in a short amount of time. During his 1997 professional debut, he fought three times in one night, capturing the World Vale Tudo Championship in Brazil. Kerr continued to excel in the tournament format in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, winning heavyweight brackets at both UFC 14 and UFC 15, with the notorious “Just Bleed” guy making an appearance in the audience prior to his 17-second knockout of Mark Stott.

“The Smashing Machine” then moved on to the greener pastures of the Pride Fighting Championships, where he would remain unbeaten through his next six bouts. With his imposing physique and penchant for quick finishes, Kerr was regarded as one of the top heavyweights in the world through that period.

Outward appearances can be deceiving, however, and Kerr, as it was later revealed in the HBO documentary “The Smashing Machine,” was a mess internally. Kerr used painkillers to help him deal with his fears, which longtime training partner Mark Coleman acknowledged during an interview with Heavy.com.

“He had a lot of issues, and he never really did enjoy fighting. It was something he did for the money. We were quite different in that way. I enjoyed fighting. I looked forward to it,” Coleman said. “Mark, and I don't want to use a harsh word, was pretty scared. Every time a fight came around, he was pretty scared. He was intimidated by the whole situation and that is probably what led to him using pain killers.”

After going unbeaten in his first 13 professional bouts, Kerr would lose 11 of his final 14 outings before hanging it up.

Number 5 » The Outlaw