Kron Gracie is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and grappler.
Kron was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1988. He is the son of Rickson Gracie and the grandson of the late, great Hélio Gracie. He began training under his father as a child and In 2008, at the age of 19, he received his black. Kron is currently under contract with the UFC and has fought for Rizin Fighting Federation.
Jiu-Jitsu Career
Gracie’s career before black belt included two IBJJF World Championships (2006, purple; 2007, brown), three IBJJF Pan American Championships (2005, blue; 2006, purple; 2007 and 2008, brown), as well as a staggering 51-match submission streak. As a black belt, Gracie’s career continued its upward trajectory. Gracie won the IBJJF European Open and placed second at the IBJJF Pan American Championships in 2009, a year in which he also made his ADCC debut.
In 2011, Kron opened his own Jiu-Jitsu school in Culver City, California. That same year he took silver at the IBJJF World Championships and in 2012 received bronze in his weight division becoming a World Jiu-Jitsu Expo Superfight champion.
But it was 2013, Gracie’s last year of active jiu-jitsu competition, in which Gracie captured his most iconic accolade: an ADCC gold medal.
Gracie, riding a five-match winning streak with wins over the likes of Victor Estima and Shinya Aoki, entered the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Championships (ADCC) for the third time in his career. Gracie had previously competed in 2009 and 2011 but was defeated both times by Marcelo Garcia, arguably the sport’s greatest ever competitor.
In 2013, however, things would finally go Gracie’s way.
Gracie submitted Andy Wang in the tournament’s first round with a rear-naked choke, advancing to face jiu-jitsu star, Garry Tonon. Gracie again found success with the rear-naked choke, submitting the Renzo Gracie black belt and advancing to the semi-finals.
There, he faced 2017 ADCC champion, JT Torres, whom he also submitted, this time via armbar. In the finals, Gracie submitted three-time IBJJF World champion, Otavio Sousa, with a guillotine to become the 2013 ADCC champion.
With arguably the sport’s most impressive no-gi achievement, an ADCC gold medal, under his belt, Gracie turned to mixed martial arts.
