Growing up Gracie

I remember seeing Kron Gracie on the mat many times in the blue belt and purple belt divisions when we were competing at the same time ten or so years ago.  I remember one time in particular that stands out to this day. Kron was about 16 years old and was competing in a big tournament (I think the nationals) in the adult blue belt division. He lost on points to a guy who looked to be in his mid-20s. After the win the guy ran around the mat celebrating and jumped into his teammates arms like he just won Olympic gold. Bear in mind that Kron probably didn't have hair on his nuts at this point and had lost to a full grown man by a point or two.

I'll never forget the look of pure RAGE on Kron's face that day as he watched this guy celebrating at his expense.  That was the first time it dawned on me how hard it must be to grow up carrying the Gracie name.

During my competition days, 5 Gracies were on the mat consistently: Kron, Ralek, Riron, Rener, and Clark (I only saw Clark at big tournaments, I saw the rest all the time). They won most of the time, but not EVERY time. They took their lumps sometimes just like everyone else, and when they did it was an EVENT. People crowded around the mat. They yelled, they cheered, they gasped, they sat in stunned silence: a Gracie had just lost. Whenever one of my teammates was nervous about competing I would ask them:

"Do you know how many times Marcello Garcia lost as a blue belt?"
"Um...no"
"Neither do I. No one gives a shit about this match, get out there and have some fun."

Your first few years of competition are SUPPOSED to be anonymous. You are supposed to lose when no one gives a shit and no one is really watching. Your first MMA fights are supposed to be on an undercard when no one is in the stands with just your friends and relatives screaming for you. The Gracies don't get that luxury, everyone pays attention when they fight. When Kron took on Bill Cooper at Copa Pacifica the crowd was silent and intense, and the these were a couple of purple belts who weren't old enough to drink legally.

There is a special edge to Kron Gracie's legacy of course: he's Rickson's son.

There has always been a tendency to lump the Gracies together into a single, monolithic clan. Nothing could be further from the truth of course. That family has more branches than a 500-year-old   oak tree and more rivalries than the Mafia. In a group that large there is room for all kinds of people. Most Gracies have excellent technique due to the simple fact that its hard NOT to when you do a sport from birth and have a whole family of experts to support you, but not all of them have been outstanding competitors. When you ask old-timers about certain Gracies they will roll their eyes dismissively and say something like; "Porra! That mutherfucker never win nothing in Brazil, just have the name!" Like in any family, some were more cut out to be outstanding businessmen, instructors, promoters etc. When it comes to the competitive side, one name stands out above all others: Rickson.

Most people know the story: Rickson was the undefeated lion of the Gracie family. Either in a tournament or on the beach his skills are legend. I have heard a million stories of him wiping the floor with an entire class full of world champions. My coach on the Fight Quest BJJ episode was a Rickson disciple who told me point-blank: "I've been training for 25 years and Rickson toys with me like a child. In all this time I'm no closer to competing with him than I was when I knew nothing". That's a scary thought when you remember how long that guy has been training, but its the same thing I've heard in various academies a million times. The shame from a historical perspective is that few of Rickson's competitive matches survive to this day. He stopped competing in the 80's and, as a result, there are only a handful of grainy clips on youtube of the famous Rickson at the end of his tournament career. They are impressive to say the least, he blows most guys out before they even know what's happening. The only match of any length is his war with a young Rigan Machado, but the quality of the videos makes it difficult to see many details in their techniques. There is no video of him losing, because in BJJ he never did. His only official defeat was in a Sambo tournament when he was thrown and lost, similar to an Ippon in Judo.

Following up on a legacy like that must be a motherfucker, but it seems that Kron has the mentality to do it. Of the Gracies I saw compete, Kron has proven to be the best of that class. He has world titles in the purple and brown belt divisions and a silver at black in 2011 to go along with a host of major tournament titles. He medaled twice at ADCC (all his loses to Marcello Garcia) and tapped ALL of his opposition on his way to gold in 2013. Two things immediately stand out to someone who knows BJJ when they see Kron compete. The first thing is that his style is BASIC. He doesn't rely on fancy tricks or techniques nor does he employ a ton of guard variations and crazy attacks. He sticks to the basics and has incredible fundamentals that opponents can't keep up with. The second thing is that he is phenomenally aggressive. At ADCC in 2013 he submitted EVERYONE he fought. He hasn't just beaten world champions like Leandro Lo, Otavio Souza, and Gilbert Burns, he's submitted them in competition (although Burns DID get payback at the 2011 Worlds, beating Kron in the final). In high-level BJJ I've seen guys win world titles without submitting anyone. The submission at the professional level of the sport, with time limits etc., is comparatively rare. Kron submits the best with regularity.

Of course Kron has stepped into the professional MMA world. Last weekend he defeated Hideo Tokoro in the main event of the Rizin promotion's 2nd show in Japan. A lot of people have asked me how I think he will do in his MMA career and I always answer the same way: it depends on whether or not he makes it a career. Consistency has really been a problem for the Gracies in MMA when it comes to evaluating their competitive legacy. Royce, Renzo, Rickson, Rolles Jr., Roger, Rodrigo, Ryan, Gregor, Ralph, Royler, Daniel, Igor, Neiman, Ralek, Crosley, Roggan, Carlson Jr., Robbin, Cesar, and Rhalan have all made appearances in MMA (might be missing a couple somewhere). Their  total number of fights: 150, that makes for 7.5 fights per Gracie. Neiman Gracie has fought in the Bellator cage and has averaged about a fight a year, Kron has averaged about the same in his 3-fight career as well.

Once a year does not an MMA career make. One of the obvious issues is that most fighters start off their careers fighting fairly regularly, then taper off as the stakes and purses get bigger. Kron,  however, is fighting in main events and its his 3rd MMA fight. The dues-paying years when you have to fight every month to pay the bills don't necessarily exist when you have a famous last name. Also, every Gracie has a built-in career waiting at home. Kron has an academy here in Southern California. No matter what happens in the cage or the ring, his financial future is fairly secure as long its doors remain open. The economic reality is that the VAST majority of Gracies can make far more money running academies and giving seminars than they can from fight purses, Kron is no exception in that regard.

I was fortunate to be ringside for his fight with Asen Yamamoto. Any time a fighter taps AND goes out, its one tight choke. That kind of slickness and technique is a thing of beauty to watch. Talking to Joe Shilling about Kron he had nothing but praise for Kron's standup ability, so I believe he has the will to become well rounded and dangerous in every area. If he is willing to fight with consistency, we might see a new lion emerge in the Gracie family.