Oleksandr Usyk joins The Rock’s MMA biopic, playing fighter with 40-fight unbeaten streak

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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson isn’t the only one bringing an MMA legend’s story to the big screen.

Johnson is taking on the role of Mark Kerr in a biopic that covers the UFC icon’s life and career. ‘The Smashing Machine’, written and directed by Benny Safdie, is due out in the US on 3 October.

Johnson’s performance in the film impressed many, even giving some legends of the sport goosebumps. The film also features a number of well-known fighters from Kerr’s era.

One standout casting choice was boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, who made his acting debut by stepping into a physically imposing role outside of boxing and Hollywood circles alike.

Usyk is cast as Vovchanchyn, who went 40 fights undefeated

Oleksandr Usyk will be stepping into the role of Igor Vovchanchyn in A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine’, which was confirmed back in 2023.

The legendary Ukrainian fighter played a significant role in Mark Kerr’s career, having faced him twice between 1999 and 2000. The first encounter ended with a controversial decision, while the rematch saw Vovchanchyn hand Kerr his first loss.

While those clashes are likely to feature prominently in the film, they’re just one part of what was an extraordinary run for Vovchanchyn. He is tied with Travis Fulton for the longest undefeated streak in MMA history, going unbeaten across 40 consecutive fights from 1996 to 2000.

That streak came to an end against Mark Coleman in the final of the Pride Grand Prix Openweight Tournament. In today’s sport, nobody comes close to that record. The longest current win streaks are held by Shavkat Rakhmonov, Movsar Evloev and Usman Nurmagomedov – each sitting at 19 straight wins.

Mark Kerr and Joe Rogan were impressed by Oleksandr Usyk’s portrayal of Igor Vovchanchyn

Mark Kerr recently appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he spoke about being really impressed by Oleksandr Usyk’s work in The Smashing Machine.

Both men remarked how great it was to see the boxer convincingly become Igor Vovchanchyn.

Kerr also noted that Usyk had signed onto the project years before he went on to defeat Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

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“Benny signed him before he became the undisputed champ. So it’s one of those things where everything just kind of lined up in a way where you’re like, ‘Alright, this is manifest destiny.’”

Kerr then pointed out that during his training camp for his first bout with Tyson Fury, Usyk completed 600 rounds with three different sparring partners.