Without Mitsoyu Maeda, we wouldn’t have had the Gracie family. Without the Gracies, we wouldn’t have had the UFC. When Royce Gracie submitted three fighters in a single night to win UFC 1, the Gracies became a household name. From prominent names like Renzo Gracie, Ralph Gracie, and the legendary Rickson Gracie, the Brazilian family has cemented its legacy as the pioneers of mixed martial arts. Now, the legacy has been carried forward by Kron Gracie. Having started his MMA journey in 2014, the 36-year-old has a record of five wins and two defeats.

Kron Gracie made a name for himself on the Jiu-Jitsu world stage having won accolades in IBJJF, NAGA and ADCC. Just like ‘Ice Cream Kron’, his sisters have also established themselves in the world of BJJ. Did you know that Kron had an older brother named Rockson Gracie? What happened to him? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the Gracie family and learn about Kron Gracie’s siblings, as well as what happened to Rickson Gracie’s oldest son.

Meet Kaulin and Kauan Gracie, Kron Gracie’s sisters

Kron Gracie’s elder sisters Kaulin and Kauan Gracie are an integral part of the family that pioneered BJJ. The sisters moved out to live in Washington, where they run the Gracie North Academy. Needless to say, BJJ ran in their veins. And for Kaulin, it was her brother who got her into training. Talking to Eastern Europe BJJ, she revealed, “I’ve always, like, kind of trained.. And Kron’s, like, ‘Come to the academy’. So I come to the academy that day. I’d lost a lot of my hair and we start doing the warm up. And I’m doing this warm up – the movements, and I literally crash into the back wall.” 

Jiu-Jitsu was indeed a way for her to deal with her emotional distress. It helped her deal with the pain regarding Rockson Gracie’s tragic passing. On top of that, she received quite a bit of support from ‘Ice Cream Kron’, who used to constantly tease his sister. 

But unlike Kaulin, Kauan took a path a bit different from the rest of the Gracies. Even though the 39-year-old was exposed the BJJ mats since a toddler, she established herself in the world of dancing. She graduated from Chapman University in the Dance program. But could she stay away from the mats? Well, not really. In an interview from 2012, Kauan Gracie said, “This has been a return to jiu jitsu for me, so this totally amazing for me. I’m actually coming back to jiu jitsu as an adult. And I’m a dance major so I have a really nice understanding of body. So, now I’m going for it like a chess game and feeling the connection.”

Training Jiu-Jitsu was a good way for both the sisters (and their younger brother) to deal with a massive tragedy within the family. When Rickson Gracie was due to face the ‘Gracie Hunter’ in 2000, he was forced to pull out of the bout after receiving news of his oldest child Rockson Gracie, passing away.

How did Kron Gracie’s brother Rockson Gracie pass away?

While the Gracie family had quite a handful of tragedies, most notably with Rolls Gracie’s passing in 1982, Rockson’s death in 2000 is the one with a massive tearjerking factor. Rockson had a lot of potential and shared a deep bond with his father. He even won a Pan American gold medal as a blue belt, and later repeated the feat when he got his purple belt. On top of grappling, Rockson even modeled for Calvin Klein and wanted to try his luck in the realm of acting. But tragedy struck the family in December 2000, when the 19-year-old prospect went missing. 

Rickson asked his cousin, Renzo, to file a missing person’s report. Soon, Rockson Gracie’s body was found in a hotel in South Manhattan. Following the autopsy, it was revealed that the 19-year-old’s system was rife with with several dr-gs and medications. The cause of his untimely passing was ruled an overdose and this tragedy pulled Rickson Gracie out of the fighting world. Today, Kron Gracie seeks to keep the family legacy intact.

‘Ice Cream Kron’ is all set to face Bryce Mitchell at UFC 310. Needless to say, the Brazilian mixed martial artist will try and execute his grappling skills on Mitchell early on. However, since both are grappling phenoms, Kron might have to employ a different game plan. Nevertheless, the outcome of the fight is something only time can tell.

What do you think of Kron Gracie and his family’s history? Do you think he has what it takes to make his family proud? Let us know in the comments below.