Following in his father’s footsteps, Kron Gracie tested his royal Brazilian jiu-jitsu pedigree in a pro MMA bout in Japan, a place where his father Rickson forever solidified his name in the sport’s lore in the 1990s.
And like Rickson did in his first bout in Japan in 1994, Kron scored a first-round submission win in his first fight in Japan.
In what was his pro MMA debut, Kron put his top-flight grappling chops on display and submitted South Korean Hyung Soo-Kim with an armbar just 65 seconds into their bout at Real Fighting Championship: Real 1 on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Gracie engaged in a series of small exchanges on his feet with Soo-Kim in the fight’s first 30 seconds. Gracie then jumped guard 33 seconds into the bout, immediately going to work on his potent guard game.
Gracie quickly slapped on a triangle choke, which he turned into a belly-down armbar that induced a swift tap from Soo-Kim.
Along with Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez, Gracie prepared in the months leading up to the fight with UFC lightweight Nate Diaz. Nate took to Twitter on Tuesday to congratulate Gracie.
Congrats to my boy @krongracie on his debut did his thang #graciejiujitsu #choke #ricksong… http://t.co/4rM66RxcZi pic.twitter.com/6ceEx7CFzX
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) December 23, 2014
Gracie has won numerous world titles in the realm of grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, including capturing a gold medal at the 2013 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Championships.
Rickson, who’s arguably considered the kingpin of the Gracie family, finished his storied MMA career with an 11-0 mark with 11 submissions. Rickson‘s first two fights occurred in Brazil, and his final nine took place in Japan.
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