Khonry Gracie, the 20-year-old son of UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie, is set for his pro-MMA debut at Bellator 192. After a single bout the young Khonry managed to secure a Bellator debut.
Here’s how Khonry recalls being influenced rolling with the late Helio Gracie, perhaps one of the most influential bjj figures of all time:
“Last time I saw Vovo (‘grandpa,’ in Portuguese) Helio, we trained on the mat,” Gracie said during a recent media day in Los Angeles. “He put me in his guard, and he goes, ‘Pass my guard.’ I go, ‘OK.’ He’s 94 years old. I’m like, ‘It will be easy. No problem.’”
“I go, I try to push his leg down, and it won’t budge,” Gracie said. “I’m looking at him like, ‘He’s strong. Damn.’ So I go and push the other leg. He won’t budge. I put my leg right on his waist, to try to pass the guard, and he pins my hand down.”
“I try to pull my hand out and his grip – that was the one memory I’ll never forget: His grip was so strong I could never, ever in my life pull my hand out from that,” Gracie said.
“We’re here to carry on the family name and legacy,” Gracie said. “Make my grandfather proud, make my father proud.”
Royce Gracie’s Son on MMA Debut: ‘I’ve Never Competed in Jiu-Jitsu’
Khonry was just awarded a brown belt:
