See the Cast of "The Smashing Machine" SidebySide with the Real People They Play Caroline BlairOctober 3, 2025 at 7:00 AM 0 A24 ; Zuffa LLC via Getty Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine' (2025) ; Mark Kerr after winning the heavyweight tournament during the UFC 14 on July 27, 1997 i...
- - See the Cast of "The Smashing Machine" Side-by-Side with the Real People They Play
Caroline BlairOctober 3, 2025 at 7:00 AM
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A24 ; Zuffa LLC via Getty
Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine' (2025) ; Mark Kerr after winning the heavyweight tournament during the UFC 14 on July 27, 1997 in Birmingham, Alabama. -
The Smashing Machine stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt as Mark Kerr and Dawn Staples, respectively
The biographical sports drama, which hit theaters Oct. 3, also stars Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk and Satoshi Ishii
The movie tells the story of UFC legend Mark Kerr and his life both in and out of the ring
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are stepping into the Octagon.
The actors star in the A24 film The Smashing Machine, which tells the story of UFC legend Mark Kerr (Johnson) and his then-wife, Dawn Staples (Blunt). The biographical drama shows how Kerr went on to become one of the most prolific wrestlers and mixed martial artists, and his professional triumphs and challenges along the way.
In addition to Kerr's professional accomplishments, the film also highlights Kerr's personal life and his rocky relationship with Staples. The trailer shows Blunt, who plays Staples, rooting for her husband even as the physical challenges start to take a toll.
While the film features most of Kerr's career, it specifically focuses on his climactic fight with his longtime friend and fellow training partner, Mark Coleman, played by Ryan Bader. In addition to Johnson, Blunt and Bader, the film also stars Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn, Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue, James Moontasri as Akira Shoji, Yoko Hamamura as Kazuyuki Fujita and Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten as themselves.
Here's everything to know about the cast of The Smashing Machine and the real people they play.
01 of 09
Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr
A24 ; Zuffa LLC via Getty
Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in 'The Smashing Machine' (2025) ; Mark Kerr after winning the heavyweight tournament during the UFC 15 on October 17, 1997 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Johnson stars as legendary UFC athlete Kerr in the sports biographical drama. The professional wrestler said in a Q&A in September that he was "waiting" for a role to "not only push myself, but then just really go for it."
"Not only did I want to tell Mark's story and that I want to tell it with Benny [Safdie], of course, who had this incredible vision right away," Johnson said. "But also do it with one of my best friends [Blunt] and someone who I knew was going to push me as an actor."
Johnson physically transformed for the role and told talkSport that he gained 30 lbs. of muscle weight to play Kerr accurately.
"Mark Kerr was puffier. Mark was a big guy — a lot bigger than I was back then," he told the publication. "The challenge of putting on 30 lbs. to play Mark Kerr is that his muscle is a different kind of fast-twitch muscle fibre."
Meanwhile, Kerr has attended several events related to the film with Johnson and shared his support for Johnson's portrayal of him. After The Smashing Machine poster dropped in April, Kerr took to Instagram to share his "gratitude" for Johnson's representation of him.
"I am still in disbelief that this is real," he captioned the post. "I am so proud of the work DJ put into becoming The Smashing Machine. I have so much gratitude, humility and respect for ever little detail production uncovered."
02 of 09
Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples
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Emily Blunt as Dawn Staples in 'The Smashing Machine' (2025) ; Dawn Staples-Kerr at the Premiere of "The Smashing Machine" on September 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Blunt portrays Kerr's former wife, Dawn Staples, with whom he was married for the most pivotal parts of his career. Blunt reflected on playing the former Playboy model and said that she was "delighted" to take on the challenge.
"There was a lot going on behind closed doors of what it means to live with a fighter and be with a fighter. The all-consuming world of that," Blunt said in a Q&A, per Deadline. "I got to know Dawn well, and she was very generous with her story, with me, the full weather system of it, the regrets, the eruptions, the hazardous nature of the relationship at times, and the deep, profound love and devotion they had to each other amidst an impossible environment."
Although Staples and Kerr are now separated, the former couple remain amicable and co-parent their son, Bryce. Staples has shared support for The Smashing Machine by attending the premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and promoting the movie on social media.
03 of 09
Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman
A24 ; Gabe Ginsberg/Getty
Ryan Bader as Mark Coleman in 'The Smashing Machine' (2025) ; Mark Coleman attends the 16th annual Fighters Only World MMA Awards on December 05, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bader, an American mixed martial artist, makes his acting debut by portraying Kerr's close friend and later rival, Mark Coleman. Similar to Kerr, Coleman is also a retired mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who made a name for himself in the UFC world.
Coleman has shared his support for the film and Bader playing him by sharing photos of the two of them together in April.
"My character in the movie will be played by the great MMA Champion Ryan Bader @ryanbader 💪🏼👊 Ryan has promised me he made me look like an absolute savage killer. I can't wait. I'm very excited blessed," he captioned the post.
Meanwhile, Bader has expressed a similar sentiment, writing in an April Instagram post that he "had an absolute blast" acting as Coleman.
04 of 09
Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn
A24 ; Tomokazu Tazawa/Getty
Oleksandr Usyk as Igor Vovchanchyn in 'The Smashing Machine' (2025) ; Igor Vovchanchyn during Pride Grand Prix 2005 on August 28,2005 in Saitama, Japan.
Usyk steps into the role of Igor Vovchanchyn for the biopic. Vovchanchyn is a former legendary Ukrainian mixed martial artist and kickboxer who played two of the most difficult events of his career against Kerr.
Like Vovchanchyn and many other cast members, Usyk is an accomplished athlete who is entering the acting arena. Usyk is a Ukrainian professional boxer who has held the heavyweight championship since 2025 and has won two heavyweight gold medals.
05 of 09
Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue
A24 ; Bryan Bedder/Getty
Satoshi Ishii as Enson Inoue in 'The Smashing Machine' (2025) ; Enson Inoue attends the premiere of "Redbelt" on April 25, 2008 in New York City.
Ishii, another former mixed martial artist and kickboxer, plays Enson Inoue. Inoue is a retired jiu-jitsu and mixed martial artist who had a prolific career for 15 years but lost to Kerr in a 2000 match.
Meanwhile, Ishii is a successful retired boxer and gold-medal Olympian who's also worked as a stuntman in other movies and television shows. He has frequently shared his excitement over playing Inoue and expressed how "honored" he was to be part of The Smashing Machine cast.
06 of 09
James Moontasri as Akira Shoji
Esther Lin/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty
James Moontasri poses for a portrait on June 25, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas.
Moontasri, a stuntman and retired mixed martial artist, portrays the fan favorite former professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Akira Shoji. Shoji made a name for himself as one of the first competitors in the early days of the Pride Fighting Championship. Although Shoji didn't appear to have a rivalry against Kerr, both Kerr and Shoji were pioneers in their respective fields.
Similar to Shoji, Moontasri is also a retired mixed martial artist, but he competed in the UFC. Moontasri has won a silver medal for Taekwondo at the 2007 Pan American Games and later became a two-time U.S.A. Taekwondo champion.
Before appearing in The Smashing Machine, Moontasri worked as a stuntman in movies including Mulan and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Moontasri has promoted the film on social media, as well as sharing behind-the-scenes snaps.
07 of 09
Yoko Hamamura as Kazuyuki Fujita
Etsuo Hara/Getty
Kazuyuki Fujita looks on during the Pro-Wrestling 'NOAH The Best 2019' on November 02, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.
Hamamura acts as Kazuyuki Fujita, a successful Japanese professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist. Fujita competed against Kerr at the Pride Grand Prix 2000 Finals and made a name for himself after upsetting Kerr and beating him. Fujita went on to become the IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a GHC Heavyweight Champion.
While Hamamura is also a former mixed martial artist, he has specialized as a stuntman in over 20 movies and television shows — such as Dune: Part One, The Beekeeper and Kate.
08 of 09
Stephen Quadros as himself
Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty
Stephen Quadros at "The Smashing Machine" premiere on September 29, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.
Quadros, a longtime mixed martial arts expert and UFC broadcaster, plays himself in the film. Quadros, whose nickname is "The Fight Professor," has been working in the mixed martial arts industry since 1997 and has given play-by-play commentary at over 100 events, per his website.
Quadros attended the Los Angeles premiere of The Smashing Machine and shared an Instagram photo with Satoshi Ishii.
09 of 09
Bas Rutten as himself
Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty
Bas Rutten at "The Smashing Machine" premiere on September 29, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.
Sebastian "Bas" Rutten also joins the cast as himself. Rutten got his career start in mixed martial arts, kickboxing and wrestling before transitioning into a stuntman and actor.
Rutten competed in the UFC and became a Heavyweight Champion, King of Pancrase world champion and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2015. After Rutten retired in the late 1990s, he went on to coach Kerr.
Rutten has previously worked as both an actor and a stuntman in various films, such as Here Comes the Boom, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Zookeeper. He's attended several events with the rest of The Smashing Machine cast members and expressed his excitement over the film on social media.
"I am so excited about this movie, which comes out on October 3rd," he wrote on Instagram in April. "The hardest part for me was getting into my insane character of Bas Rutten, but I think I came close and did OK. 😂."
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