Kron Gracie didn’t put forth his best effort in his UFC return, and he apparently knows it.
Competing for the first time in three-and-a-half years at UFC 288, Gracie was outworked and dominated by Charles Jourdain earlier this month as he dropped a lopsided unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 30-27 against him.
While the fight was billed as a classic striker vs. grappler matchup between the Canadian puncher and Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, many observers were taken aback by just how little striking Gracie used, instead opting to repeatedly pull guard on Jourdain. Gracie’s performance even had UFC president Dana White saying he had a “rough game plan.”
“He came in very limited tonight,” White said afterward. “It was like coming out of a time capsule in 1995, you know what I mean? Tough way to try to win a fight these days.”
With more than week gone by since the fight, Gracie (5-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) finally shed some light on his performance in a post on his Instagram stories, blaming it, at least in part, on a last-minute change to his plan.
“In a lifetime of fighting it’s always been a fight to the death,” Gracie wrote. “Understand the (situation) and willing to limit myself. Even that being said, I threw no punches because of bad (advice) and (tried) to please the jiu-jitsu (community) two days before my fight. First fight in my life I didn’t throw a punch. Going back to my old ways.”
The fight with Jourdain was in stark contrast to his previous UFC appearance in October 2019, when he lost a unanimous decision to Cub Swanson in the Fight of the Night at UFC Fight Night 161.
A member of the famed Gracie family, Kron is the son of Rickson Gracie and grandson of Helio Gracie. He’s friends with Nick and Nate Diaz and has taken part in training with both men before.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
