Kron Gracie made a long-awaited return to MMA at UFC 288 in Newark, United States.
However, his comeback did not go as planned.
Kron Gracie showcased a gameplan reminiscent of the early days of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. In the ever-evolving landscape of mixed martial arts (MMA), these traditional techniques proved ineffective against a seasoned opponent like Charles Jourdain.
Ultimately, Jourdain secured a unanimous decision victory, leaving Kron Gracie to reassess his approach.
Gracie was universally criticized and ridiculed by UFC stars and fans.
Dana White expressed his disappointment with Kron Gracie’s performance while simultaneously highlighting the limitations displayed in the bout.
“You know, I like Kron a lot. And he’s a good kid. He came in very limited tonight. Very limited. You know, it’s like coming out of a time capsule in 1995. You know what I mean? It’s a tough way to try to win a fight these days. Yeah, 30th anniversary. You’d never think you’d kind of see that.”
UFC pros reacted similarly on twitter:
More industry insiders were unamused:
Now Kron has published an explanation of sorts, for his performance.
Kron’s statement is a little bit wild. For starters it features some glaring grammatical errors that go beyond typos and the like. This statement is very telling about who Gracie is, and where his last name has gotten him in life.
It’s unknown who advised Gracie to execute a horrible game plan, and why he would ever think that kind of thing would work against an experienced mixed martial artist.
Gracie was cornered by Demian Maia but considering Maia lives in Brazil it’s highly doubtful he relocated to Montana for the duration of Kron’s camp.
Kron’s future in the UFC is uncertain, now more than ever, with many fans calling for UFC to release Gracie.
Further, Gracie’s old strategy also had glaring errors. In a defeat to Cub Swanson he kept walking forward and taking all the punishment, unwilling or unable to try and match the modern MMA meta.
To make matters worse, Jourdain predicted this outcome heading into UFC 288 and basically outlined his entire plan.
