Morning Report: Mark Kerr recalls classic Pride 1 matchup was fixed |

13/06/2025 14:00 -

Japan's legendary Pride promotion is defined by its mythology, but the long-defunct organization has its fair share of blemishes.

Right at the top of Pride's controversies is the accusation that several of its early bouts were fixed, with an emphasis on building particular stars and delivering memorable moments. Upcoming UFC Hall of Fame inductee Mark Kerr remembers his time fighting in Japan and can confirm that not all of the matchups were on the up and up.

Perhaps most notoriously, Kerr claimed that the Pride 1 matchup between pro wrestling star Nobuhiko Takada and MMA royalty Rickson Gracie had elements of a fixed fight.

"I did Pride 2, Pride 3, Pride 4," Kerr said on the JAXXON podcast. "Pride 4 was back in the Tokyo Dome. Pride 1 was when they had Takada fight Rickson Gracie and that was a work. That's like, 'OK.' But again, Japanese fans, they want to believe what they want to believe."

Despite the poor showing, Takada remained a legend in Japan and went on to lose to Gracie again at Pride 4 in a bout that is held in even higher regard. The series helped to build Pride and further boosted the legacy of Gracie, who has frequently boasted he is undefeated in over 400 fights.

Kerr knew it was taboo to discuss the true nature of that contest, one that he claims was one of several bouts that played out in less-than-legitimate fashion.

"Oh, I know there was," Kerr said when asked if there were any other fixed fights in Pride. "And again, it's one of those unwritten rules, like if it was a work, you're never going to f*cking mention it. Ever. It was crazy because over there in Japan, you didn't know you f*cked up until they went, 'Oh, you f*cked up.'

"It was like these unwritten rules that existed, they're called 'implied rules,' right? You're supposed to know that gravity, if you jump off a 50-story building, it's going to kill you. You didn't know that? Like, what the f*ck."

Real or not, Kerr found out the hard way that there were all kinds of shenanigans that could help or hinder one's career. In his own case, he recalls how one of his fights was delayed by over an hour thanks to the epic first meeting between Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba.

Gracie famously requested special conditions for his match with Sakuraba, including extending rounds to 15 minutes and the bout ending only via knockout or submission. The bout went on for well over an hour with Gracie eventually succumbing to leg kicks. All the while, Kerr had no idea when it would actually be time for him to make his walkout for his fight with Kazuyuki Fujita, who would end up being the first fighter to defeat Kerr.

"So before I ended up fighting Fujita, the fight before me was Sakuraba and Royce," Kerr said. "Hour-long, the longest fight in the history of mixed martial arts. This is what's crazy. Going into the Grand Prix, Royce said, 'I'm not doing it unless there's 15-minute rounds.' Everyone was like, 'Dude. It ain't ever happening.' They ended up with the vice president of Dream Stage [Entertainment] actually said, 'Listen, I need you to get all the wrestlers on board. I need you to get everybody on board with this,' because they needed Royce to round out the field.

"So Royce ends up fighting I think they did four rounds. I think it was an hour. So you imagine for me, at the of the first 15-minute round, Sakuraba had Royce I think in a kneebar, and I'm like, 'OK.' I'm getting warmed up and 'ding ding' the bell goes. I'm like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' End of the second or third round, [Sakuraba] has got him hockey jersey'd. He's got the gi pulled over Royce's head and he's just uppercutting him, tagging him. I'd never seen it done before. I'm like, 'F*ck, that's brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?' And so I thought that was it. Not it. They go another round and by this time I'm f*cking beat. I've already warmed up four times. And when you warm up, you blow your lungs out, you get your lungs heated up, you get ready to go and it's like, 'Aw shit.' And then finally, Royce couldn't answer the bell, his leg was swelled up. But that was straight-up, hats off, man."

Kerr is set to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Pioneer Wing on June 26 in Las Vegas. A film about his life, The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson, premieres nationwide Oct. 3.

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