Rickson Gracie, a name that means as much to BJJ as it does MMA. The man is both a myth and a legend. He competed in MMA over twenty years from 1980 to the year 2000, mostly in Japan, and was undefeated at 11-0.
Now the 56-year-old’s son Kron Gracie is set to carry on his fathers legacy. Kron has been impressing and dominating the BJJ scene for some time now. The 26-year-old won gold at the ADCC in China last year and has won Naga, Pan-American and World Jiu-Jitsu Championships’ in his years competing in BJJ.
He will face South Korean fighter Hyun Soo Kim, a fellow MMA debutant. It will take place in the Real Fight Championship on December 23, 2014, in the Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan.
Rickson Gracie had the following to say to MMAFighting about his sons MMA debut:
“He’s focused, he wants to bring jiu-jitsu back to MMA,” Gracie said. “He’s not doing crosstraining to work on his weaknesses. He won’t start boxing, kickboxing, wrestling. He will use his jiu-jitsu to neutralize the wrestler, the striker, and work on his expertise.
“I don’t want him to learn how to knock someone out with a punch. He would need another life just to learn how to deal with fighters who come from this background. He has to learn how to avoid fighting his opponent’s game.”
Below is a Stuart Cooper film where Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo talk about Rickson and his son Kron.
Alan’s Angle: In recent years the Gracie’s have not faired so well in MMA but something feels special about Kron. He is young enough and no doubt has been training towards his MMA debut for some time. He holds a black belt in Judo and is a BJJ black belt since he was 19 or 20 and with Rickson being such a critic and perfectionist there is that influence in Kron’s life that can only drive him. I am looking forward to this one.
