Kron Gracie Cites “Bad Advice” as Cause for His Underwhelming Return at UFC 288

"First fight in my life I didn't throw a punch."

Drew Beaupré | May 15, 2023

(Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports)

Kron Gracie has blamed his lackluster showing at UFC 288 on a game plan that changed just days before he stepped into the Octagon with Charles Jourdain.

The 34-year-old entered the cage for the first time since his 2019 loss to Cub Swanson when he and Jourdain met for a featherweight contest on the main card of UFC 288. Many fans were excited to see the decorated grappler make his return to MMA, but the 34-year-old ended up putting in what Dana White described as a “time capsule” performance where he repeatedly tried to bring things to the mat with virtually no success.

Gracie didn't comment on the loss in the week following UFC 288, but in an Instagram story posted on Monday he tried to explain what had caused his disappointing performance.

Gracie experienced few moments of success during his first fight in over three years. (Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports)

“In a lifetime of fighting, it’s always been a fight to the death,” Gracie wrote. “Understand the situation and willing to limit myself, even that being said I threw no punches because of bad advice and tried to please the jiu-jitsu community two days before my fight. First fight in my life I didn’t throw a punch, going back to my old ways.”

The bout between Gracie and Jourdain ended up setting the tone for the UFC 288 main card, with the only finish from that portion of the event coming when Yan Xiaonan knocked out former Strawweight Champion Jéssica Andrade in the first round.

The card was topped by a record-setting performance from Aljamain Sterling, who successfully defended his bantamweight title for a third time against former two-division champion Henry Cejudo. The split decision win for “Funk Master” may not have been the night’s most exciting bout, but the faceoff with Sean O’Malley after the result was read certainly provided some entertainment.

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Published May 15, 2023