Mixed martial arts is a style of full-contact fighting that combines techniques and styles from various sports, including wrestling, judo and jiu-jitsu — you get the picture. All of these sports have their own history and methods; specific forms, procedures and even credos that those who take up the fight swear by. When each sport comes together in an MMA fight, there’s a strange kind of beauty to the violence, an excitement that stems from the unpredictability of each fighter and their chosen style. The combat is real and lyrical, like a melody where each move is a note that must land in the right spot to pull off a win.

“The Smashing Machine,” Benny Safdie’s new film about Ultimate Fighting Championship MMA fighter Mark Kerr, tries desperately to score in the same fashion. Safdie’s movi

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