Following his embarrassing bout with Charles Jourdain at UFC 288, Kron Gracie will return to the Octagon on the UFC 310 Main Card to face Bryce Mitchell, ranked fourteenth in the 145-pound division. The fight was announced on the official broadcast of UFC 309. Gracie, 36, fell to 1-2 in the UFC after losing to Jourdain on a unanimous decision at UFC 288 in June 2023. That was his first fight since losing to Cub Swanson in October 2019, giving him his second loss in the promotion with just one win that came in February the same year.

However, this doesn’t mean that Kron Gracie won’t be able to make a stunning comeback. After all, you cannot count out a man who has seen the very worst of things in life. And for Gracie, it was the tragic death of his brother, Rockson Gracie. But who was Rockson Gracie, and how did he pass away? Let’s find out the tragic story of Kron Gracie’s brother.

Who was Rockson Gracie? How did he die?

Rockson Gracie was born in 1982 and was the eldest son of legendary Jiu-Jitsu competitor Rickson Gracie and former model Kim Gracie. Like his family, he too fell in love with wrestling at a very young age and started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a martial arts form that was developed by his grandfather, Helio Gracie. Such was his caliber that Rockson Gracie was called a prodigy due to his defensive skills with great timing.

He also frequently appeared alongside his father in documentaries and promotional material, also being seen in the 1990s promotional videos for his father’s BJJ school in the US. So it took no time for him to become a rising star in the competitive scene. Within just three years of his flourishing MMA career, Gracie won four championships while also earning his purple belt. However, it seemed like he soon fell out of love with the sport and decided to pursue modeling as a career instead, moving to New York with his girlfriend.

With time, his communication with family dwindled, and in early 2001, after weeks of no contact, his cousin Renzo Gracie discovered that Rockson had died in December 2000 from an overdose at a Manhattan hotel. And how did Renzo Gracie find out about his death? By searching hospitals and police stations after finding out that Rockson and his girlfriend had broken up. The search ended when Renzo finally identified Rockson’s body from a police file.

Rickson Gracie finally opened up about his son’s death

Rickson Gracie is an icon of the sport who has won all eleven of his official MMA fights, and that too via submission. With a man who many claimed to be unbreakable, powered by the Gracie blood that his brother Rorion Gracie and half-brother Royce Gracie also carried, there seemed to be no stopping the MMA legend. However, the tragic death of Rockson Gracie ended up affecting his father personally and professionally. When asked about the worst beating he ever took, the man simply replied with, “Without a doubt, the loss of my son, ten years ago.”

He further revealed that the loss led to him hitting rock bottom in life. Rickson Gracie said that when one talks about a loss, one may think of strength, perseverance, praying, and the belief that there will be a tomorrow. And while these opinions are relevant, he believes none of these actually matter.”The truth is that I came to the conclusion that none of that matters. When you lose something truly profound, you have to sit, cry, and accept that you’ve hit rock bottom.” Rickson shared a really close bond with his son, so much so that Rockson even had a tattoo on his arm that read, “The Best Father of the World: Rickson Gracie.” But unfortunately, it was the same tattoo through which his body was identified.

To get over the pain, the grieving father moved back to Brazil to be closer to his family. Despite being undefeated and in the prime of his career, the BJJ star soon decided to hang up his gloves, and the black belt hasn’t fought since his son’s death. According to Gracie, he was offered millions to make a return; however, he mustered up enough strength from within to do it. Truly a tragic end for two MMA careers.