"Look at Khabib” - Gordon Ryan compares Kron Gracie’s grappling approach to ‘The Eagle's’ after UFC 310 loss to Bryce Mitchell

Kron Gracie suffered a third consecutive defeat when he faced Bryce Mitchell at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. The submission specialist was hoping to improve on his previous performance against Charles Jourdain at UFC 288 but Gracie's display against Mitchell left much to be desired.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt opted to pull guard whenever he entered a clinch situation with 'Thug Nasty'. After a continued lack of success from the bottom position, Gracie's tactic began to face criticism from the commentators, who noted that he had used a similar plan against Jourdain to no avail.

Gracie ended up losing the fight via knockout in the third round.

The consensus greatest no-gi submission grappler of all time, Gordon Ryan, was in attendance for UFC 310. Following Gracie's defeat to Mitchell, Ryan was asked to share his thoughts on the featherweight's lack of effective grappling in the UFC, despite being an elite BJJ black belt.

'The King' said:

"Well I mean, if you look at Khabib. [He] used pretty much on jiu-jitsu, but he kind of transcended wrestling and transcended jiu-jitsu where it was more of a submission-wrestling game. If you look at Khabib's game, it's a lot more similar to what we do in an ADCC ruleset than it is in a Freestyle wrestling or collegiate match."

He continued:

"Khabib did it the same way as Kron's doing it. But Khabib did a much better job of transcending jiu-jitsu and transcending wrestling and merging them together to become successful."

Catch Gordon Ryan discuss Kron Gracie below (9:30):

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Bryce Mitchell reflects on victory over Kron Gracie at UFC 310

Bryce Mitchell bounced back from his brutal knockout loss to Josh Emmett at UFC 296 with a stoppage finish of his own over Kron Gracie at UFC 310. The Arkansas native became the first fighter to defeat Gracie via stoppage, as he secured a third-round KO win after landing several elbows on the ground.

Both fighters are known for their elite grappling skill set, but Mitchell did not initiate many wrestling scrambles. Instead, his opponent pulled guard at what appeared to be every opportunity.

Following his win, 'Thug Nasty' was interviewed by ESPN MMA, where he reflected on the fight and said:

"I didn't think that he would actually force the guard that heavily. When you go with him, you either have to run, or tangle up. There's no other option. There's a certain point where I don't want to run the whole fight... So I went forward and then you clash and that's what he wants because then he pulls you on top."

Catch Bryce Mitchell discuss Kron Gracie below (0:30):