Kron Gracie had a victorious 2n professional MMA fight when he defeated Asen Yamamoto in Japan as part of the New Year’s Eve card from Rizin Fighting Federation.
Gracie defeated the 19-year-old newcomer Asen Yamamoto — the nephew of Japanese veteran Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto — in a 145-pound bout. Yamamoto escaped a tight armbar but was caught in triangle choke towards the end of the first round.
Kron had already scored 65-second armbar submission in his MMA debut.
Gracie told MMAFighting.com that his future is at 145 lbs and that he greatly admires his training partners the Diaz brothers and Gilbert Melendez. He also wants to fight ASAP:
“I think 145 is a good weight for me. The weight cut is never easy, but it’s doable.”
“The help of my father and my training with Nick (Diaz), Nate (Diaz) and Gilbert (Melendez) made me get to this win. I’m training with them for four years now and they are really part of my success. You will see how effective I’m becoming after every fight. They teach me a lot of things, how to box and how to fight, but especially their mentality, the fact that they became my friends, is the most important things I’ve learned with them. When I met them, I saw how great people they are. They are always trying to help the community, and that gives me more motivation to represent them.”
Kron and Yamamoto
About his mentality in MMA:
“You’re ready to die in there. Nothing was going to surprise me. I was ready to get knocked out or submitted. You have to think about everything in a fight. I never thought it was impossible for him to escape from a submission. His arm was really flexible, like rubber. I didn’t apply much strength so I wouldn’t hurt his arm, so I jumped to another submission.
About carrying the Gracie name with him in MMA:
“It’s pretty obvious that I represent those things, so I don’t need to put an extra pressure over myself that I have to win for my family, for my father. That’s not true. I’m always doing good things for myself and for my family, no matter if I win or lose. I will always represent them, but I’m happier now because I don’t put this pressure that I have to win. The only pressure is that I have to train hard and do everything I can to stay calm and do what I know.
“I’m representing the light we have inside all of us. The light that will guide us to a better path. I’m fighting now, but who knows what will happen in the future. My life doesn’t depend only on fighting, but being a good man and bringing this light to everything I do.”
