The Golden Globe nominations have arrived, and the verdict is a bit of a mixed bag for combat sports films.
2025 turned out to be a notable year for fight biopics, with films about UFC legend Mark Kerr and boxing star Christy Martin both making their way to cinemas.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson played Kerr in The Smashing Machine, while Sydney Sweeney took on the role of Martin in Christy.
Johnson was widely praised after the Kerr biopic’s release, with many branding it a career-best performance for the former WWE star despite the movie underperforming at the box office.
His impressive portrayal earned him a nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama. But there was no similar recognition for Sweeney or Joe Rogan’s hit podcast this time around.
Golden Globes ignore Joe Rogan despite podcast’s massive audience
‘Christy’ drew a range of reactions. Some praised Sweeney’s performance, but it wasn’t enough to lift the film out of its disappointing box office start.
The movie brought in just $1.3 million from over 2,000 cinemas during its opening weekend in North America, averaging only $649 per theatre. That puts it among the worst openings on record.
While Dwayne Johnson picked up a Golden Globe nomination for his role in ‘The Smashing Machine’, despite that film’s own box office issues, Sweeney didn’t receive similar recognition.
There was another snub connected to combat sports. The ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ was left off the list for best podcast as well.
Rogan’s show has been the most popular on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube throughout 2025. Several other podcasts with large audiences were also left out, which might explain why Rogan missed out.
The 83rd Golden Globe Awards are set for January 11 at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Dwayne Johnson reacts to his first Golden Globe nomination
While Rogan and Sweeney will no doubt be disappointed to have missed out, there’s still a chance for combat sports to get some recognition, with Dwayne Johnson representing the category.
He’s been shortlisted for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama, competing against Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Oscar Isaac (Frankenstein), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) and Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere).
This marks Johnson’s first Golden Globe nomination, and he spoke about what the nod means given the real story he was telling in The Smashing Machine.
“I think the nomination represents the fight in everybody, especially with addictions and those demons that you battle,” Johnson said (h/t The Hollywood Reporter).
“Mark Kerr had it all and lost everything, and then has since become sober. He did overdose twice. Life is good because he’s sober and because he made it. Not everyone is that lucky.
“That’s the movie that we wanted to make: a nod to those who fight,” he added.
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