Kron Gracie frustrated with current MMA generation: ‘You can’t just be good at 1 martial art’

Carrying a famous last name can be quite a burden, no matter the field you field yourself working in. Time and time again, we see sons and daughters of well-known athletes, actors, singers and so on being compared to their parents before them, and MMA is no exception.

The burden of Gracie

Naturally, some offspring just cannot find the same success their parents did, such as Ryan Couture, son of former UFC double champion and legend Randy Couture. However, others can surpass the achievements of their folks and leave their own name in history, like former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee.

However, there’s no doubt that no other last name causes as much expectation and or puts more pressure on a fighter than the one that became associated with mixed martial arts and the UFC right from its early days: Gracie.

Though legendary athletes such as Royce, Renzo and Rickson Gracie have paved the way and left their mark both in jiu-jitsu and MMA, it’s only natural that not all Gracies would be able to do so well both in the cages and on the mat.

Kron Gracie is frustrated

Take the example of world champ and jiujitsu all-time great Roger Gracie, who just could rise to the highest level in mixed martial arts and retired in 2016 with a mediocre 8-2 record, with a loss in his lone UFC fight. If we fast forward some years, we may be witnessing another example of Roger’s path in the son of Rickson Gracie who currently fights for the UFC featherweight division, the intriguing figure that is Kron Gracie.

After a successful UFC debut in 2019, it did not take long for the blackbelt to return to the cage, only to be on the losing end of a unanimous decision against Cub Swanson. The defeat had Gracie away from the Octagon for almost four years, until his return and subsequent loss to Charles Jourdain in 2023.

We have not heard much from Kron Gracie since that second loss and it seems like it will be a long hiatus if he ever decides to give the UFC another chance. However, in a recent video posted on his official YouTube channel (transcribed by Bloody Elbow), the Brazilian addressed what he believes to be some of the issues regarding modern MMA and jiu-jitsu, as well as what it meant to grow up being part of the Gracie family and having Rickson as a dad.

“It was a lot pressure to have the Gracie name, growing up,” Kron said. “I was always able to trick myself into not letting it affect me so much. My dad was, like, the best fighter in the world. As a kid, that’s what you want to be like. You want to be like the best in the world. If I wasn’t trying to be the best in the word, I was, like, worthless. It’s always been my future. Why shouldn’t I be better than him?

“Growing up, it was all about jiu-jitsu. Everybody did jiu-jitsu to fight. Jiu-jitsu to prove they can beat up a boxer or beat up a wrestler. You’re trying to prove yourself to prove your martial art. Now, it’s merged into a way where you can’t just be good at one martial art and be very successful against everybody who’s at the highest level. My dad doesn’t understand that. My grandfather wouldn’t understand that. This generation is already completely different. I think the martial arts is like your own moulding. Martial arts, for me, is jiu-jitu, boxing and judo. When I say I’m a martial artist is because I built my own formula and I appreciate all the martial arts.”

Could Kron Gracie still return to MMA?

If this speech and Kron Gracie’s unpredictable behavior are any indication, we might not see him back in the Octagon any time soon or at all. But then again, it’s hard to be sure when it comes to this particular athlete.

On the bright side, Kron Gracie (5-2) is 35 with pretty low mileage, so he might have a couple of classic fights left in him. However, his last win does date back to a submission victory over Alex Caceres in February 2019, so don’t expect an actual title run.

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Lucas Rezende

Lucas Rezende is a Brazilian journalist and writer from Belem, Para. He has been covering MMA since 2012 and contributing with Bloody Elbow since March 2015. When not writing, Lucas also teaches English. In his free time, he enjoys reading, slapping the bass guitar and traveling.

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