PRIDE 27 INFERNO Preview

Mark "The Smashing Machine" Kerr vs. Norihisa Yamamoto

MARK KERR: American wrestler, also known as "The Specimen" and "The Titan", NCAA finalist, World Team Trials participant, World Cup participant, National Freestyle Wrestling Games participant, Good Will Games Champion, WVC 3 Tournament Champion, UFC 14 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, UFC 15 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, 2001 Abu Dhabi Submission Fighting Championships Superfight Champion, training at Mark Zee Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, with a record of 13-3 in MMA, making his 11th appearance (6-3-0-1) in the ring of the PFC

Abbreviated Fight History: Kerr was a superior wrestler in college at Syracuse University and eventually became Assistant Wrestling Coach there for three years. Mark competed on the National and International level and beat many recognizable names including Randy Couture and Kurt Angle. Mark began fighting MMA in 1997 at the World Vale Tudo Championships 3 in Brazil. Kerr defeated UFC veterans Paul Varelans and Fabio Gurgel and Capoeira fighter Mestre Hulk to win the tournament title. He moved on to the UFC and won back-to-back tournament titles. Like Randy Couture at the time, Kerr had issues with management and their pay scale an opted to leave the UFC for a brand new show in Japan called Pride. He was originally supposed to face Royce Gracie but for various reasons, the bout never took place. Mark competed in 5 of the first 7 shows and became a fan favorite in Japan. Below are some of Kerr's more significant contests.

Kerr/Paul Varelans: These two met in the quarterfinal of WVC 3. Kerr opens with two knees to the body and a roundhouse kick to the leg but he is quickly reprimanded for kicking with shoes. The action resumes and Kerr scores a double leg takedown, landing in sidemount. Kerr holds Varelans head down and repeatedly knees him in the face. He mixes short right hands and additional knees until referee Sergio Batarelli stops the action and saves a bloody and beaten "Polar Bear".

Kerr/Dan Bobish: Discussed under Dan Bobish bio.

Kerr/Hugo Duarte: What a waste of time this was. Duarte stayed on his back the entire time and complained of headbutts. Mark opened a nice cut under Hugo's eye but nothing to stop the bout. In the third round Kerr finally got tired of the theatrics and unloaded on Duarte's causing the referee to stop the bout.

Kerr/Kazuyuki Fujita: Fujita entered the Pride GP Final to face Mark "The Specimen" Kerr in what looked like an easy win for the American wrestler. Kerr went into what was initially reported as "a form of sugar shock" where his body shut down and he could hardly move to defend himself. After the first fifteen-minute round, the judges had seen enough and awarded the win to Fujita. Kerr, a favorite to win at the time, was out of the tournament. Fujita would've advanced to face Mark "The Hammer" Coleman in the next round but his corner opted to throw in the towel, collect a check, and lose by forfeit rather than face Coleman.

Kerr/Igor Vovchanchyn: These two met twice. In the first fight, Igor was cut early but was landing well on the feet. He couldn't stop many of Kerr's takedowns but at the same time Kerr couldn't match Vovchanchyn's power standing. Igor frustrated Kerr on the mat. In the final sequence, Igor had pushed Kerr off of him and jumped to his feet to strike but Mark shot in and Igor met him with a knee to the head. Once on the mat, Vovchanchyn kneed Kerr twice more, stunning him and causing a break to the action. This was a clear violation of the rules of Pride at the time. Afterward, Kerr appeared to be ok but very concerned about the foul. The bout was later ruled a No Contest. In the rematch, they spent the majority of the first two rounds on the mat in Vovchanchyn's guard. These days we would've seen multiple stand ups and yellow cards. Igor got a yellow in the second but both fighters responded well after that. Igor threw a nice right-left punch and a roundhouse to the face. Vovchanchyn took his back and landed rights to the head and Kerr worked for a Kimura. Mark got a takedown and moved to side mount but he seemed too tired to finish. In overtime, they clash at the bell and Igor lands to big right lands dropping Kerr to his knees. Vovchanchyn sat in rear mount and pounded Kerr's face from behind. Mark got a takedown and is inside Igor's guard but he's not moving and does nothing but cover Vovchanchyn's face until the final bell. Igor wins a unanimous decision.

Kerr/Heath Herring: Heath's stock was still high and his challenges increased as he was pitted against PFC top contender Mark Kerr. Kerr had dominated position in round 1. Like with Erikson, a stand-up from lack of action rejuvenated Heath and in round 2 he was able to land a devastating head kick and finish Kerr with knees on the ground.

Also worthy of note: Kerr battled Mestre Hulk (win/DQ), Fabio Gurgel (win/decision), Moti Horenstein (win/TKO), Pedro Otavio (win/submission), Nobuhiko Takada (win/submission) and Enson Inoue (win/decision)

Strengths And Weaknesses: Kerr has always been physically strong, usually competing at around 250lbs. His wrestling ability is superior to most his size and he compliments those skills with good striking. Mark isn't the most accurate puncher but he certainly has mastered throwing knees from the clinch. His submission skills are solid but again much can be attributed to his great strength. As for a weakness, Kerr hasn't been healthy lately. His battles with drugs are now common knowledge a variety of additional health issues have been speculated upon.

How He Can Beat Yamamoto: By showing up in shape. We haven't seen Kerr in the ring since mid 2001 and it will be interesting to see what kind of condition he comes to the fight in. Yamamoto doesn't bring any surprises. His game doesn't change much from fight to fight. It is a big bout for Kerr and it is a "gimmie win" if he is on his game. Kerr can Ground'n'Pound Yamamoto and finish this bout early.

NORIHISA YAMAMOTO: Japanese professional wrestler, kickboxer, RINGS veteran, World Extreme Fighting veteran, trains with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Wataru Sakata and PFC veterans Hiromitsu Kanehara and Hirotaka Yokoi and members of RINGS Japan, with a record of 16-20-1 in MMA, making his 7th appearance (2-4) in the ring of the PFC

Abbreviated Fight History:
Norihisa Yamamoto (formerly Yoshihisa) first gained public attention in the Japan Open Vale Tudo '95 when he fought Rickson Gracie. Yamamoto lasted longer with Rickson Gracie than anyone ever has in a pro fight (almost 20 minutes) and even had a shot at beating Rickson. Yamamoto has done professional wrestling and fought for many years ('93-'01) on the RINGS Fighting Network circuit which for most of its existence was a "worked" bout (fixed fights) organization. Although he took part in a few "shoot" matches (real fights), the RINGS organization didn't change to entirely legitimate fights until 1999. Norihisa stayed until the end and made the move to Pride in 2001. Below are some of Yamamoto's more significant contests.

Yamamoto/Rickson Gracie: He lasted longer with Rickson Gracie than anyone ever has in a pro fight, nearly 20 minutes…and that was in his debut. However much of the bout was spent on the ropes and Yamamoto took numerous uppercuts to the face from behind. Unfortunately, he lost that fight and hasn't had any real success in MMA or in RINGS, where he appeared to be most comfortable (no striking on the ground).

Yamamoto/Brandon Lee Hinkle: Yamamoto fought one match in the U.S., a bout against Hammer House wrestler Brandon Lee Hinkle at the World Extreme Fighting 9: World Class show in'00. Hinkle dominated position from the opening bell and pounded Yamamoto. Norihisa had a near armbar near the two minute mark but he was turned, kneed in the head and choked out around 2:30 of the first round.

Yamamoto/Brad Kohler: Norihisa faced American wrestler Brad Kohler and literally had the fight squeezed out of him after absorbing some hard shots.

Yamamoto/Semmy Schilt: He fought Semmy "Hightower" Schilt in RINGS competition. As you might've guessed, the battle didn't go well and Yamamoto was KO'd. The bout was especially hard to watch because Yamamoto resorted exclusively to leg kicks and didn't throw a single punch in the entire match while eating punches and knees from Schilt throughout.

Yamamoto/Christopher Haseman: This was one was one of Yamamoto's more inspired performances in the RINGS King of Kings 2000 Tournament. Haseman can in looking to drop Yamamoto with strikes and pounded on him early. Chris landed uppercuts on the inside and it looked like a matter of time before Norihisa hit the canvas. He kept half-heartedly shooting in for a takedown but was easily deflected by Haseman. Chris landed a solid leg kick to Norihisa's right leg and followed it up with an overhand right that opened a cut on Yamamoto's head. The doctor looked at it and allowed him to continue. Haseman jumped on him and a fairly exciting exchange followed with both fighters landing leg kicks and punches to the head. Yamamoto got a takedown and nearly pushe Haseman out of the ring. They continued standing and trading blows with Yamamoto going for the occasional takedown. Yamamoto caught Haseman with one solid leg shot but Chris closed the distance to finish him off. They grappled in the corner, going to the ground but Haseman moved away for a restart. Norihisa caught Chris with a leg kick when he was moving forward with all of his weight on it and it looked like the leg would buckle. He attacked the leg repeatedly kicking him 4 or 5 more times until Haseman could no longer stand. It was a hard-fought victory for a heavily out gunned Yamamoto.

Yamamoto/Bob Sapp: At Pride 20: Armed and Ready, Norihisa faced former pro football player and current Japanese sensation Bob Sapp and get crushed early in the first round. Yamamoto attempted a few leg kicks to keep Sapp away it only prolonged the inevitable. Every punch was doing damage to Yamamoto and a big shot from Sapp caught Yamamota on the chin and dropped him to the floor.

Yamamoto/Guy Mezger: Norihisa went three full rounds with Lion's Den fighter Guy Mezger. Guy dictated the pace of the bout with his kickboxing skills. In the first round Guy dropped Norihisa and pounded him with a brutal soccer kick to the face. Yamamoto took it and Mezger stated "You're tough!" Round two featured a few solid stand-up exchanges. Guy controlled throughout but could not finish Norihisa. In round three Yamamoto was clearly finished but Mezger still couldn't put him away. Guy took a unanimous decision in an uninspired performance.

Yamamoto/Herring: Discussed under Heath Herring bio.

Also worthy of note: Yamamoto battled Willie Peeters (loss/submission), Kiyoshi Tamura (draw/decision), Joop Kasteel (win/KO), Jeremy Horn (loss/submission), Valentijn Overeem (loss/submission), Jan Nortje (win/submission) and Alexander Otsuka (won/TKO)

Strengths And Weaknesses: Most would be hard pressed to describe him as a "good fighter" but like most Japanese athletes in this sport, he has a huge heart and undying determination in the ring. It is these traits that make him a fan favorite in Japan. The fans come to see him and cheer for him, especially when the odds are stacked against him (which is most of the time). It is somewhat ironic Norihisa's (then called Yoshihisa) greatest performance in MMA was also against his most famous competition; Rickson Gracie. Yamamoto battled Gracie for 20 minutes and although he lost, he was expected to lose and a budding star was born. However whether it was poor matchmaking or simply Yamamoto's willingness to fight absolutely anyone, he is rarely successful in competition. To nail down a weakness is tough. He's simply not a real good fighter. He can compete on this level with some but is usually overmatched.

How He Can Beat Kerr: Can he bring a bat with him? Kerr's stamina is supposed to be questionable right now and he lost a fair amount of weight recently. He may gas and that would present the opportunity to Yamamoto to poor it on and get a ref stoppage. Other than that, a solid performance might earn him a decision victory but the deck is stacked against him based on Kerr's name recognition alone.

MY PICK: Kerr. Did anyone ever think the day would come that fighters who were on the absolute top of the sport would be fighting journeymen to stay in the sport? I mean guys like Kerr and Heath Herring fighting Yamamoto? So in a year are going to see some meaningless bouts like Nogueira/Satake someday? Or Ninja/Otsuka match-up? Oh wait…that bout is actually on this card too. Um…forget it. Back to Kerr, it is tough to know what he'll bring to the ring but hopefully he will show well and be a part of the Heavyweight GP. He still has a lot of fans. We will likely see the G'n'P Kerr from the Vovchanchyn fights. I feel it will be Kerr by TKO from strikes in the 2nd Rd.

DOWN THE ROAD:
Kerr/Kimo Leopoldo: Neither of these fighters is a super striker standing up and it could be an interesting fight on the ground.

Kerr/Remco Padoel: Remco is slowing down but still fighting…just like Kerr. It would be great to Pardoel fight where we in the U.S. can see him and just in England or Holland.

Yamamoto/Rafael Carino: That's right "The Earthquake" from UFC 9 is fighting again in Shooto Brazil. Why not, Norihisa has faced Semmy Schilt, Ricardo Morais and Bob Sapp so what is one more giant?

Yamamoto/Vernon White: Vernon needs an easy win to climb back up and he hasn't fought in Pride in 4 years. Yamamoto presents some challenge but it is a fight "Tiger" should win.