Episode 7 – with Mark “The Specimen” Kerr & Talking Tough Podcast

The world’s toughest men and women, at their most vulnerable.

Their stories of triumph. The leaders of The Hells Angels and the Navy Seals, the Crips street gang, and our nation’s most-under-fire police departments. These amazing individuals have risen to the very top of their world and crashed to the bottom spectacularly. From WWE Superstars and UFC legends, learn how they rose to the pinnacles of their chosen professions, to holocaust Survivors and former child Soldiers, transitioning from a “normal” life to the most horrific existence that life can bring. Their falls from grace, their descents to their respective rock bottoms. And… their climb back to the top. To LIFE. Talking Tough peels back the surface of these seemingly TOUGHEST of men and women, going deep to reveal the vulnerability beneath… the failures, the pain, the shame, and ultimately… the strength, the resilience, and the heart that enabled them to fight their way back. And to come out electrified on the other side of life. Equal parts entertainment and inspiration… and winner of “Best of Los Angeles’” “Most Inspirational Podcast,”… Rick Bassman’s Talking Tough!

TALKING TOUGH EPISODE 3.7 – SPECIAL GUEST –  Mark “The Specimen” Kerr.

A no-holds-barred, nothing-held-back discussion between Rick and his one time client, Mark “The Specimen” Kerr. Rick and Mark peel back the curtain to reveal what it was like in the early days of MMA, from the UFC tournaments and Vale Tudo in Brazil, to the first Abu Dhabi submissions championships and the glory days of PRIDE in Japan. Mark, then considered the world’s dominant #1 Heavyweight, reveals what it was like to live at he top of the world, and then to spectacularly crash and burn, as chronicled in the now infamous HBO documentary “The Smashing Machine”.

Rick and Mark talk about how and why they each descended to his own rock bottom, and the personal responsibility they ultimately accepted in climbing out of the abyss. The longtime friends then celebrate Mark’s return to a fulfilling life, led by family and friends, including new pal Dwayne Johnson, who recently announced he’ll be playing Mark in his upcoming major dramatic feature. The Smashing Machine.

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