Kron Gracie's MMA debut has been made official for December 23rd in Japan. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion will mainly focus on using his grappling skills against other fighters, according to his father Rickson Gracie.
Kron Gracie's MMA debut was first announced in January, during an interview with Tatame.
"Everything is on track," Gracie said. "If God wills, will happen. Japan is willing to offer more possibilities and is a more beautiful place to fight."
Kron Gracie's MMA debut was announced through the website MMA in Asia, under Chinese mixed martial arts promotion company Real Fighting Championship. The event is set to take place at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan.
While Kron has remained silent about his transition into MMA, so far, his legendary father Rickson, was more vocal about it. The elder Gracie rose to prominence in Japan, when he competed and won at Vale Tudo tournaments in 1995 and 1996. He is also considered to be the best fighter in the entire Gracie clan.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Rickson could not have been happier about his son's dedication to this new endeavor.
"Kron is super dedicated, training hard," the elder Gracie said. "His camp is going great. It's a good moment for his career, he wants to prove himself. I'm really proud."
At a tender age of 26, Kron Gracie has won numerous grappling tournaments. His biggest accomplishment was winning the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) tourney in 2013, which is considered as the most prestigious competition among Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.
Kron's BJJ prowess alone is enough for Rickson, who believes that his son will be able to neutralize other MMA fighters using the said skill.
"He's focused, he wants to bring jiu-jitsu back to MMA," Rickson said. "He's not doing crosstraining to work on his weaknesses. He won't start boxing, kickboxing, wrestling. He will use his jiu-jitsu to neutralize the wrestler, the striker, and work on his expertise."
"I don't want him to learn how to knock someone out with a punch," he added. "He would need another life just to learn how to deal with fighters who come from this background. He has to learn how to avoid fighting his opponent's game."
