The release of nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards has created an unusual split decision in the world of combat sports. While 2025 saw a flurry of high-profile projects dedicated to the gritty realities of fighting, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (or whatever iteration they currently represent) has made it clear: they reward transformative drama, but perhaps draw the line at controversial popularity.
The headline moment belongs unequivocally to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who secured a nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama for his portrayal of troubled UFC legend Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine. This recognition confirms that Hollywood, despite its occasional aversion to the octagon, respects a genuine commitment to method acting—especially when it involves trading blockbuster bravado for profound vulnerability.
The Rock`s Redemption Arc: Art Over Averages
Johnson’s nomination is particularly noteworthy because it defies conventional award logic. While his performance as Kerr was widely lauded as a career high, showcasing the devastating human cost of addiction and ambition, the film itself reportedly struggled at the box office. In the realm of high-stakes Hollywood accounting, this often translates to obscurity. However, the committee`s decision confirms that true dramatic transformation outweighs financial metrics in this specific instance. Johnson himself emphasized the deeper meaning of the role, stating the nomination represents “the fight in everybody, especially with addictions and those demons that you battle.”
His competition in the category is formidable, featuring critically acclaimed actors such as Oscar Isaac and Michael B. Jordan. Regardless of the outcome on January 11th, this nod solidifies Johnson’s attempt to transition from a guaranteed crowd-pleaser to a serious dramatic force.
The Snub: Sydney Sweeney and the Box Office Catastrophe
Where Johnson found acclaim, Sydney Sweeney met the cold shoulder. The actress, who took on the role of boxing icon Christy Martin in the biopic Christy, was passed over for a nomination. While some critics praised Sweeney`s effort to embody the trailblazing boxer, the film suffered a catastrophic commercial fate.
Box office analysis is often a cruel, technical exercise, and the numbers for Christy speak volumes. The film scraped together a meager $1.3 million on its opening weekend, falling far outside the top 10. Crucially, the average gross per theatre was a dismal $649. For context, such figures are less of an underperformance and more of a technical malfunction in theatrical distribution. While Johnson’s film also had box office struggles, Sweeney’s project simply failed to register with the wider viewing public, likely making it an easy omission for the awards committee, irrespective of her acting quality.
The Elephant in the Room: Joe Rogan and the Metric of Controversy
Perhaps the most culturally significant snub, however, belongs not to film, but to the rapidly expanding category of audio media: podcasts. Joe Rogan, the ubiquitous voice of combat sports and general cultural commentary, was conspicuously absent from the Best Podcast category despite the phenomenal, quantifiable success of The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE).
In 2025, JRE was the undisputed champion of the audio landscape, topping the charts on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube—a trifecta of dominance demonstrating unparalleled reach. Yet, the Golden Globes opted to nominate safer, often celebrity-driven, and decidedly less controversial shows, including titles like Smartless and Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.
This decision invites a moment of technical reflection: when an awards body ignores the single most listened-to audio property in favor of less-penetrative programs, the criteria for nomination moves beyond metrics of audience engagement and into the realm of committee politics. JRE’s success is built on its unvarnished, often unpredictable, and occasionally provocative nature. The implicit message delivered by the Globes is stark: cultural resonance, when coupled with widespread controversy, is less desirable than institutional compatibility.
The implicit message delivered by the Globes is stark: cultural resonance, when coupled with widespread controversy, is less desirable than institutional compatibility.
The Verdict
The 83rd Golden Globe nominations offer a fascinating snapshot of how Hollywood views the combat sports ecosystem. On one hand, there is a clear appetite for profound, transformative drama derived from the lives of fighters struggling with inner demons, as exemplified by Johnson’s success. On the other, high-profile projects that fail commercially, or figures who achieve mass success outside the traditional media control structure, find themselves pushed to the sidelines.
Dwayne Johnson carries the flag for the fighting genre into the ceremony at The Beverly Hilton hotel on January 11th. He represents the accepted, sanitized version of the fight world—one framed by professional artistry and a clear narrative arc. Meanwhile, the snub of Rogan confirms that the true, messy, and popular culture of combat sports—the one operating outside the studio gate—remains a polarizing, and often unwelcome, guest at Hollywood’s most prestigious tables.
