# Built to Destroy. Forced to Rebuild. | Mark Kerr

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rideout-the-other-side-of-hard-7580822/built-to-destroy-forced-to-rebuild-mark-kerr
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rideout-the-other-side-of-hard-7580822/built-to-destroy-forced-to-rebuild-mark-kerr.md
Podcast: [RIDEOUT: The Other Side of Hard](https://stenobird.com/podcast/rideout-the-other-side-of-hard-7580822)
Published: 2026-05-06T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SCIM2990220682.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/SCIM2990220682.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/rideout-the-other-side-of-hard-7580822/episodes/built-to-destroy-forced-to-rebuild-mark-kerr
Duration seconds: 6939

## Resource

Mark Kerr was one of the most dominant fighters on the planet. NCAA champion. Undefeated in early MMA. A force so powerful they called him The Smashing Machine. But behind the wins was a different story. Addiction. Shame. An overdose that nearly killed him. A life spinning out in real time. This conversation goes way deeper than fighting. We talk about identity… what happens when success isn’t enough… and what it really takes to rebuild your life when everything falls apart. Now, decades later, Mark is sober. He’s back. And his story is being told on the biggest stage in the world. This one hits hard. Thank you to our sponsors Ketone-IQ: ⁠ketone.com/rideout Code “RIDEOUT” Timeline: timeline.com/rideout Code "RIDEOUT" Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ Chapters (00:00) Meet the Smashing Machine (01:52) Movie Feels Like Therapy (03:33) Shame and Addiction Spiral (08:14) Childhood and Wrestling Roots (09:13) Iowa Move Changes Everything (13:43) Syracuse Rise and Dyslexia (15:23) Felony Charges and Fallout (17:24) Rock Tour and Drug Scene (20:50) Rebuilding and NCAA Comeback (24:12) Foxcatcher World Team Era (31:46) Kurt Angle Rivalry and Loss (33:48) First MMA Fights in Brazil (38:36) Street Fight Mindset (38:58) Early UFC Was Brutal (40:40) Bare Knuckle Damage (42:25) UFC Pay To Win (43:20) Training With Real Resistance (45:43) Pride Fame In Japan (49:15) Yakuza And Fight Culture (50:43) Opiates And Cutting Corners (56:45) Methadone Overdose Narcan (01:03:14) Rehab And Coming Clean (01:11:46) Return To Grand Prix (01:13:12) Alcohol Takes Over (01:15:43) Training as Identity (01:16:20) Drinking Ends Fighting (01:17:19) Car Sales Spiral (01:18:42) Son Sparks Sobriety (01:19:48) AA and Recovery Tools (01:20:38) Documentary and Fate (01:21:31)…

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