Kron Gracie, son of the mythical Rickson Gracie, took his second professional MMA bout last New Year's Eve in Japan, under the banner of Rizin Fighting Federation—a new promotion being run by the old Pride team.It seems like every matchup now-a-days is described as "high-anticipated," but for the greater jiu jitsu community, Kron's first and second fights were exactly that. After proving his jiu jitsu prowess in sport jiu jitsu and submission grappling, the only question left for the young Gracie to answer was how he would fare in mixed martial arts.The Gracie name is still very popular in Japan, and although it seemed as though Kron picked a fairly easy opponent for his second go at professional MMA (winning in just 65 seconds via armbar), seeing his grappling composure translate in the ring was an exciting indicator of what the future may hold.Last Saturday, Rizin announced Kron's second MMA match via facebook—this time against the much older and much more experienced Hideo Tokoro at 65.8 kg.Tokoro has amassed a record of 33 wins, 28 losses, and two draws. It's important to note that one of those wins was against Kron's uncle Royler in 2006, and one of the draws was against Royce in 2005. We all know how much the Gracies love to avenge family losses, no matter how long ago they were (cc: Ralek Gracie vs. Sakuraba).The bout will be Kron's first major test, and although Tokoro is well past his prime, his experience will surely test the mettle of young Gracie.
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