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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) booked Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) phenom, Kron Gracie, to make his Octagon debut at the UFC on ESPN 1 mixed martial arts (MMA) event last weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.
Gracie already had four wins as an MMA pro, with all four fights ending by way of submission. That probably doesn’t surprise anyone familiar with the Brazilian’s resume, as the son of Rickson Gracie placed first at ADCC, NAGA, and about a dozen other grappling tournaments.
That’s why Ben Askren (as well as this high-level authority on combat sports) can’t understand why the UFC fanbase is making such a big deal out of Sunday night’s performance in “The Grand Canyon State” (replay here).
Matchmakers specifically picked opponent Alex Caceres, a flashy but unremarkable striker, because “Bruce Leeroy” had a whopping six losses by way of submission. Simply put, this was designed to be a showcase fight, and Gracie did not disappoint.
I can appreciate why fans would be excited about the Gracie legacy living on inside the Octagon, which started with Royce Gracie back in 1993, but Askren raises a pretty good point when it comes to celebrating martial arts.
Not trying to start a fight but..... wrestlers hold 7 of 8 male ufc titles and people are meh..... 1 high level BJJ guy chokes a very low level grappler and people be like #BJJ4life
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) February 18, 2019
Anyone care to rebut?
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