Former ADCC world Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, Kron Gracie, had a rough go of things at UFC 288 this past weekend (Sat., May 6, 2023) in Newark, N.J., getting blanked on the scorecards 30-27×3 by Charles Jourdain in his first fight since 2019. Despite having immaculate jiu-jitsu skills, he never had Jourdain in trouble despite a decent amount of their fight being contested on the ground.
We covered his performance following the event, questioning the efficacy of Gracie jiu-jitsu in 2023 where every UFC fighter has trained extensively in the art and how to nullify it. And we’re not the only ones to note that the days of a grappling specialist coming into the mixed martial arts (MMA) big leagues and dominating may be over.
UFC President, Dana White, made similar observations following the event.
“I like Kron a lot — he’s a good kid,” White said at UFC 288’s post-fight press conference. “He came in very limited tonight. Very limited. It was like coming out of a time capsule in 1995. Tough way to try to win a fight these days.
“The kid’s got a ton of heart,” White continued. “He’s got a good chin, I like him and I don’t want to s— on his performance … but that was a rough gameplan.”
The defeat dropped Gracie to 1-2 in UFC and 5-2 in MMA, and it’s an open question as to whether the son and student of Rickson Gracie will return to the promotion for another fight. If he does, he’ll have to figure out a new gameplan that involves more diversification, or at least a much more aggressive attacking style on the ground.
For complete UFC 288 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
