What's the story?
UFC Hall of Fame legend and BJJ pioneer Royce Gracie's son Khonry Gracie is set to compete in his second professional MMA fight at Bellator 209 on November 16th. Royce Gracie was on call on Ariel Helwani's MMA show where he talked about his legendary UFC 1 performance and his son's upcoming fight.
In case you didn't know
UFC recently hosted it's 25th-anniversary event when the promotion returned to Denver, Colorado for UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs Rodriguez. The event was built up to celebrate the UFC's first ever event, UFC 1 which was also held in Denver. UFC 1 was the first time that the world witnessed the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when Royce Gracie defeated 3 men in one night to win the first ever UFC tournament.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Now after 25 years since his first pro-fight, Royce Gracie's son Khonry Gracie is looking to make his mark on the sport as he looks to secure his first professional win at Bellator 209 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Khonry is 0-1 in his pro record and looks to improve on what was a disappointing start to his professional MMA career. Khonry takes on Avi Baron (0-1) on the undercard of Bellator 209.
The heart of the matter
A legend of the sport, Royce Gracie was on call on Ariel Helwani's MMA show to talk about his UFC 1 performance and experience and also discussed his son Khonry's upcoming Bellator fight. Khonry Gracie sat in on the call with Helwani and Royce to discuss his upcoming fight and how he hopes to get his first professional win in the sport of MMA.
When asked about his first pro fight which he lost to Devon Brock and the lessons he learnt from that experience, Khonry went on to explain as to how it was his first fight in front of a big crowd and it was the atmosphere and the nerves which got in his way as he lost. Khonry lost his first fight via unanimous decision and said that he was looking to come back and put out a statement for all the fans.
He revealed his father and coach Royce Gracie would be in his corner for his upcoming fight and explained how his primary focus was on developing Khonry as a championship calibre fighter and helping him create his legacy and not fighting himself.
You can watch the full interview here.
What's next?
Bellator 209 premiers live from Tel Aviv, Israel on November 16th and Khonry Gracie is set to step up to the "Gracie" name and make his mark on the sport his family has helped grow globally.
The "Gracie" name is well revered in the sport of MMA as the family which showed the world how effective BJJ can be. Khonry Gracie, the youngest of a family of legends, now has all eyes on him as he steps into the Bellator cage to get his hand raised for the first time.