Kron Gracie opened up about his underwhelming performance aft UFC 288 following a four-year-long layoff.
After earning a first-round submission in his promotional debut against Alex Caceres in 2019, Gracie has not seen his hand raised in back-to-back bouts inside the Octagon. Dropping a unanimous decision to Cub Swanson in his sophomore appearance, Gracie faced a lengthy layoff but made his highly anticipated return earlier this month for a featherweight clash with Charles Jourdain.
Unfortunately, Gracie failed to wow fans and the UFC President who likened his performance to “coming out of a time capsule in 1995.” Gracie landed a meager 32 of 57 significant strikes according to UFC Stats while eating 80 of Jourdain’s 168 attempted strikes en route to his second straight unanimous decision defeat. Opening up on his lackluster return, Gracie revealed that his lack of offense was the result of bad advice.
“In a lifetime of fighting, it’s always been a fight to the death,” Gracie wrote on an Instagram story post. “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.”
Dana White Reacts to Kron Gracie’s UFC 288 Performance
Dana White was critical of Kron Gracie’s game plan, though the UFC President showed surprising restraint in his reaction.
“I like Kron a lot, and he’s a good kid. He came in very limited tonight. Very limited,” White said at the UFC 288 post-fight press conference.
“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 sh*t on his performance but that was a rough game plan.”
With the loss, Kron Gracie fell to 1-2 under the UFC banner and 5-2 overall. All five of his victories have come by way of submission with four ending in the very first round. It is uncertain if Gracie receive an opportunity to redeem himself inside the Octagon. Considering Dana White’s clear appreciation for the skills that Gracie possesses, it’s probably safe to assume that the Brazilian will get another chance to show the world what he can do.
