Let’s face it.
It’s tough being the grand son of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pioneer and the nephew of a UFC legend. Those are tough shoes to fill if you’re attempting to establish a career in combat sports.
Kron Gracie has found that out firsthand. On Thursday, per Full Contact MTWF on X, Gracie was one of three fighters removed from the UFC’s active roster.
Quite honestly, the move from Dana White and Co. should come as no surprise.
The 36-year-old whose grandfather is Hélio Gracie and whose uncle is Royce Gracie trains with Nate and Nick Diaz had an esteemed run as a BJJ practitioner, but his MMA career–at least in the UFC–has been less than stellar. Gracie’s release comes on the heels of his third straight loss in the Octagon.
The last defeat was a brutal TKO stoppage at the hands of Bryce Mitchell in December 2024 at UFC 310.
Gracie hadn’t just lost three fights in a row in the UFC, he’s also been inactive. He fought once in December 2024. Before that, he fought in May 2023, and prior to that fight he was last in the Octagon in October 2019 when he lost a Fight-of-the-Night performance against Cub Swanson.
Gracie’s lone win in the UFC’s Octagon in four fights came in his promotional debut. In February 2019, Gracie scored a first-round submission victory over Alex Caceres. At the time, it appeared the UFC could potentially have a contender on their hands in the featherweight division.
Unfortunately, he fought just three times over the next five years and never won another fight with the promotion. While he hasn’t announced his retirement from MMA, Gracie is on the wrong side of 35, and he has a modest 5-3 record in the sport.
There’s no doubt he can likely compete in BJJ tournaments and even train fighters in the martial art his family made a mainstream system in combat sports. But his chances of becoming a legitimate contender for a title on a higher level of MMA are done.
The other two fighters the UFC separated from on Thursday were Hakeem Dawodu and Connor Matthews.
UFC 316 takes place on Sunday with Merab Dvalishvili defending his title against Sean O’Malley in a rematch of their first battle in September 2024.
Here is a look at the complete card.
The last defeat was a brutal TKO stoppage at the hands of Bryce Mitchell in December 2024 at UFC 310.
Main Card
- Merab Dvalishvili (c) vs. Sean O’Malley – Bantamweight Title
- Julianna Peña (c) vs. Kayla Harrison – Women’s Bantamweight Title
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer – Middleweight
- Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix – Bantamweight
- Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland – Welterweight
Prelims
- Bruno Silva vs. Joshua Van – Flyweight
- Johnny Walker vs. Azamat Murzakanov – Light Heavyweight
- Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta – Heavyweight
- Khaos Williams vs. Andreas Gustafsson – Welterweight
- Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong – Flyweight
- Jeka Saragih vs. Joo Sang Yoo – Featherweight
- Quillan Salkilld vs. Yanal Ashmouz –Lightweight
- MarQuel Mederos vs. Mark Choinski – Lightweight