On May 6, 2023, at UFC 288 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Kron Gracie, a prominent MMA figure from the Gracie family who has participated in six UFC fights, will make his long-awaited return to the UFC. In a three-round featherweight fight, Gracie will make his UFC debut against Charles Jourdain (13 wins, 6 defeats, and 1 draw).
Olympic wrestling champion Henry Cejudo faces bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling on the same night in his UFC debut. Beneil Dariush, a black belt in Gracie Barra, faces off against Charles Oliveira, a former featherweight champion and UFC submission record leader. The UFC made an official announcement on social media this past Tuesday, March 7th, which was followed by news of Gracie’s return.
Gracie has been absent from the stage for a year, ever since he lost his debut match as a professional to Cub Swanson in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 19. He might have found himself rapidly ranked in the featherweight division and on the road to a championship opportunity within a few years if his career had continued to advance at its previous rate.
Kron, who was undoubtedly better known as a grappler, established himself in the professional jiu-jitsu community through a number of outstanding performances over the years, which culminated in an ADCC world title in 2013. In 2014, he started a professional MMA career by making a deal with Rizin and plunging into the arena headfirst. Only one of his four opponents managed to advance past the first round as he racked up four quick victories for the title. After taking a brief hiatus from the sport, he joined the UFC and faced Alex Caceres in his promotional debut.
Fans were left wondering how Kron would fare against a striker over a lengthier fight, despite the fact that he impressively submitted Caceres in the first round. They soon learned the truth, however, as his subsequent matchup with Swanson featured mainly a striking duel that lasted the entire three rounds. Kron received criticism from several members of his own family as well as the general UFC fanbase after losing by a lopsided decision. He declared shortly after the fight that he was moving to Montana to start his gym, but there was no word on whether he would fight again.
Kron Gracie is 5’9″ and has a 70 “stretch. He has a five-win, one-loss record in his career. Since all five of “Ice Cream Kron’s” victories have been by surrender, he has never achieved a knockout or decision victory.
Additionally, Charles Jourdain, a 27-year-old fighter and a native of Beloeil, Quebec is also 5’9″ and has a 69 body mass index “reach. His professional resume reads 13 victories, 6 losses, and 1 draw. ‘Air’ has eight knockout triumphs, four submission wins, and one decision victory.
Jourdain has a record of 4-5-1 in the UFC after dropping his most recent two fights to Nathaniel (The Prospect) Wood and (Hurricane) Shane Burgos by decision. Both games were closely contested.
The American took Jourdain down twice, tried three submissions, and had more than six minutes of control time despite Jourdain having a 113-42 edge in significant strikes against Burgos in Elmont, New York, last July. Burgos won 29-28, according to two scorers, and 28-28, according to the third.