Royce Gracie’s son Khonry has made his succesfull debut in MMA recently. This promptly lead to a Bellator contract. After all Khonry is unique in many things, among them that he had the opportunity to roll with 94 year old Helio?!

Khonry Gracie Remembers Training with 94-year-old grandpa Helio

Still for his father the UFC legend Royce Gracie the road to mma for his son wasn’t so clear- that is upto a certain point.

Prior to the 20-year-old’s amateur debut in September, he fell asleep backstage.

“He kept himself composed the whole time,” Gracie told reporters at a media luncheon. “He put a towel over his face and fell asleep. I do the same thing.”

“He’s been bugging me for at least a couple of years, and I keep saying, ‘Nope, you’re not ready yet,’” Royce said. “(Khonry said), ‘Well, sign me up and I’ll be ready.’ (I said), ‘No, you’re not ready. I’ll let you know.’

“I was waiting for him to mature a little more. A little more ripe. He started taking the training a little more seriously. That’s when I said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ I was like, ‘I just signed you up.’”

“At least know what you’re doing,” he said.” That’s what I tell my kids. You don’t have to teach, you don’t have to fight, but know, because, ‘Oh, you’re Royce Gracie’s son. Can you fight?’ The question is going to pop up one day in your life. Not just to me, but my cousins, my brothers, and the next generation on and on.”

“I actually encourage them, ‘Get yourself in trouble, because it’s my job to get you out of trouble. If you don’t get in trouble, I can’t do my job,’” Royce said. “Don’t confuse that with being stupid. Stupidity, no. But it’s OK, get yourself in trouble. It’s my job to guide you how to get out.”

Interestingly Royce admits his son is stronger than he ever was:

“He’s stronger than I am, for sure, than I ever was,” Gracie said. “What hasn’t been tested yet is to see if he has blood in his eyes. When it’s time to go, he’ll bite (down) and dive in and go for it. That, time will tell.”