Kron Gracie is perhaps one of the most intriguing yet underrated names on the UFC 288 card. Coming off a long 4-year layoff, there is a lot of hype behind the Brazilian. However, one notable thing about his return fight is a big-name absentee in his corner.
For those unaware, Nate Diaz is a big part of the Gracie family. Previously, Diaz was in Kron’s corner as he made his debut at UFC Phoenix in 2019. On the night, Gracie was able to round out an ideal debut with a first-round submission of Alex Caceres. Thus, it was expected that Nate will be accompanying the featherweight this time around as well.
Recently, ahead of the UFC 288 pre-fight formalities, Kron was spotted signing posters alongside Henry Cejudo. Whilst their interaction started off normally, things soon got awkward after Cejudo inquired whether Nate would be coming for the fight. “Is Nate coming?”, “Uh no, it’s his kid’s birthday”, responded Kron. This was followed by Cejudo chuckling about Nate. Soon after, Kron walked out stating, “When he’s done, let me know”.
Visibly, Kron seemed rather frustrated with Cejudo while he walked out. After he left, Cejudo asked whether Kron was mad at him. However, somebody presented there pointed out that it could be because Cejudo was taking too long. As such, it is unclear whether Kron was angry because of Cejudo taking too long or because of his snarky behavior towards his teammate, Diaz.
Kron Gracie takes on Charles Jourdain at UFC 288
In one of the most important fights in his career, Kron returns to the UFC Octagon against Charles Jourdain. Having lost to Cub Swanson in his last outing, this fight is crucial for Kronto to revive his UFC career. Coming from a long lineage of BJJ specialists, Kron is the son of the MMA legend Rickson Gracie and nephew of the legendary Royce Gracie.
Thus, every time that Kron competes, he represents the Gracie name and has to live up to the expectations that come with it. For the most part, Kron is a decorated BJJ fighter and has managed to translate that success inside the cage. Prior to his UFC stint, Kron fought in the RFC and Rizin, winning all four of his fights by way of submission.
‼️ Nate Diaz choking a man out in a street fight after attending his teammate Chris Avila’s fight on the Misfits Boxing show in New Oreleans last night…
[🎥 @PaulLABamba] pic.twitter.com/3sgu3Fac6F
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 22, 2023
Update on Nate Diaz:
“Nate voluntarily turned himself into the New Orleans Police Department this morning approximately at 7:10AM CT. We continue to look forward to presenting all the evidence and videos that show Nate was acting in self-defense.”
– Diaz’s representative, Zach…
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 27, 2023
Unfortunately, he will not be accompanied by Nate Diaz for this fight. Recently, Diaz turned himself into authorities following a second-degree battery charge. Following a Misfits X DAZN boxing event, Diaz got into a physical altercation with a Logan Paul lookalike, Rodney Peterson. During the chaos that ensued, Diaz and Peterson got into a scuffle which ended with Diaz choking the latter out.
However, Diaz and his legal representatives believe that Nate acted out of self-defense against a trained BJJ practitioner. As such, after turning himself in it would appear as though Nate is released on bond and out of custody. Thus, as Zach Rosenfield, Diaz’s representative revealed, the Stockton native had been ‘granted and posted’ a reported $10,000 bond.