Kron Gracie

Kron Stavik Gracie (born July 11, 1988, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist, submission grappler, and jiu-jitsu instructor. The youngest son of legendary 9th-degree red belt Rickson Gracie and grandson of BJJ co-founder Helio Gracie, Kron grew up immersed in martial arts — he can be seen as a toddler playing jiu-jitsu with his father in the 1995 documentary "Choke." The family moved to Los Angeles when Kron was an infant, and he began competing at age 10. As a colored belt he won two IBJJF World Championships (purple belt 2006, brown belt 2007) and four Pan-American titles. His father promoted him to black belt in 2008 at age 19, by which time Kron had compiled a remarkable streak of 51 consecutive matches won by submission at high-level tournaments. At black belt, Kron won the 2009 European Championship — competing just days after the death of his grandfather Helio — and earned silver at the 2011 World Championship, where he submitted Leandro Lo before losing to Gilbert Burns in the final. His crowning grappling achievement came at the 2013 ADCC World Championship in Beijing, where he won the 77 kg division by submitting Garry Tonon, JT Torres, and Otavio Souza (via guillotine choke in the final), cementing his reputation as one of the most dangerous submission artists of his generation. Kron transitioned to MMA in 2014, winning his first four professional fights by submission across promotions in Japan (Rizin FF). His UFC debut at UFC on ESPN 1 (February 2019) ended with a first-round rear-naked choke of Alex Caceres, earning Performance of the Night — the first UFC finish by a Gracie family member since Royce in 1994. However, his UFC tenure proved difficult: he lost decisions to Cub Swanson (2019) and Charles Jourdain (2023), and suffered his first stoppage loss to Bryce Mitchell at UFC 310 (December 2024). He was released by the UFC in June 2025, finishing with a professional record of 5-3, all wins by submission. Throughout his career, Kron has been defined by an uncompromising commitment to pure jiu-jitsu principles, refusing to adopt the wrestling-heavy approach favored by modern MMA fighters. He trained alongside Nick and Nate Diaz in California, holds black belts in both BJJ and judo, and relocated from Los Angeles to Montana in 2021. Sources: Wikipedia — Kron Gracie; BJJ Heroes; UFC.com; Sherdog.com; Tapology.