Kron Gracie returns to the octagon after a long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic and relocating to Montana, expressing his desire to fight more frequently and suggesting a change to MMA rules with longer, uninterrupted rounds.
Kron Gracie’s life has significantly transformed over the past 1,300 days since his last UFC fight, a loss to Cub Swanson in October 2019. However, he is now ready to face the music once more. A man known for his reticence, Gracie re-enters the octagon on Saturday to battle Charles Jourdain at UFC 288 in New Jersey. Although Gracie never planned to be away from the sport for three and a half years, the COVID-19 pandemic and his move from California to Montana to open his own gym and learn to live in the mountains demanded time and attention.
Gracie explained that his break from fighting was not intentional, stating, “It’s not something I chose, to have a break without fighting, but life happens. When you’re fighting and competing since you were 9, that’s something I had to do to get to this point. This time I had to learn to live in the mountains. And I have a dog now. It took a while for me to learn to live in the mountains, the cold weather. It’s very different and it takes time. The gym had to get going and people around me needed to be in a position to help me. I did what I had to do and now I’m ready to fight.” Gracie doesn’t hate doing media but feels it’s useless at this point, as he believes he has nothing new to say.
The 34-year-old fighter, an ADCC gold medalist and multiple-time jiu-jitsu champion, mentioned that his upcoming match against Jourdain was “kind of the best fighter the UFC was offering me” for a start of a more active stretch in the organization. Gracie noted that every fight changes a person a bit, especially when the outcome is not what was desired, leading to evaluations and adjustments. The lesson he learned from his fight with Swanson was realizing that time is a crucial factor and should not be taken for granted.
Additionally, Gracie expressed his desire for MMA to change its format, suggesting longer rounds without breaks, “I think there should be no rounds. It should be a 15-minute fight, or a 25-minute fight. I think that would change the sport for the better. You would have more chances to fight and win with these rules.” He believes that as fans and fighters become more knowledgeable, rule adjustments can be made to accommodate this evolution.