Kron Gracie was up and coming MMA fighter who made the transition from the Japanese circuit to the UFC in February 2019, picking up a submission win over Alex Caceres in his debut. A renowned grappler with an ADCC World Championship to his name, he was riding a five-fight winning streak when in October 2019 he lost a decision to Cub Swanson and has not fought since. In his recent interview with the Brazilian podcast Trocação Franca, Kron’s father, the legendary Rickson Gracie, spoke about his last fight and uncertain future.
Fighting with Emotion
According to Rickson Gracie, Kron was too emotional in his fight against Swanson, which ultimately led to his first loss in his professional career. The young Brazilian wanted to prove that he could take a punch and fight while getting punched. He proved that, but also showed a lack of strategic thinking and inability to take advantage of his opponent’s weaknesses. What is more disappointing for Gracie is that his son chose a harder, more punishing way to win, which stands in opposition to everything that Jiu-Jitsu is all about.
He continued his thought by stating that Kron should train boxing and get experience in stand-up fighting, but use it only to close the distance and make a transition to the ground. Standing and trading punches with an opponent only to prove himself is not the ideal choice, especially when it comes at the cost of a win.
A Whole Different Sport
Gracie compared today’s MMA to its 90’s phase when it was called “No Holds Barred”, when he won 11 official fights amongst hundreds of unofficial bouts.
He is proud of his son because Kron is following the family tradition, even when sport itself became more aggressive and technical. For him, it became a race between two perfectly-trained and prepared fighters who are willing to empty their gas tanks in a short period of time. It is totally different from his day of fighting when fighters had to pace themselves as rounds were longer, or there were no rounds at all. Gracie also admitted that he respects Kron’s and his sparring partners’ training methods and fighting style, even if sometimes it does not please him.
Uncertain Future
It has been over two years since Kron’s last fight, and even his own father is not able to tell when, or if at all he will return to fighting. The only information that he could share is that Kron is not training with the Diaz brothers in their camp located in Stockton, California.
Rickson Gracie said that they are giving each other some space and having some small talk now and then. Kron moved to a new gym in Montana where he is training right now. His plans for MMA and fighting, in general, are unknown to Gracie, but he is rooting for his son. According to him, Kron has a lot of potential to be not only a great fighter but also a great teacher and person. He is curious, like everybody else, to see what the future holds for Kron.
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