PHOENIX – Kron Gracie (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) proved victorious in his UFC debut, picking up an octagon win for MMA’s first family for the first in more than 24 years by submitting Alex Caceres (14-11 MMA, 9-9 UFC).
The featherweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC on ESPN 1 event at Talking Stick Resort Arena. It aired on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+ and ESPN.
Caceres moved out quickly to start, kicking the lead leg and looking to avoid his opponent’s grasp. Gracie kept his hands high and looked to move forward, though Caceres backed him away with a side kick that nearly landed clean to the head. Gracie continued to advance, eventually wrapping the body and slipping to the back and bringing Caceres to the floor. With the figure-four in tight around the body, Gracie went to work on the choke, getting the left arm under the neck and starting to squeeze. Caceres did his best to peel away the hand, but Gracie continued to adjust the grip and cinch in the squeeze, forcing his opponent to tap at the 2:06 mark of the opening round.
Gracie’s win marks the family’s first in the octagon since his uncle Royce Gracie picked up three wins in a single night to claim a tournament victory at UFC 4 in December 1994.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 1 results include:
- Kron Gracie def. Alex Caceres via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:06
- Vicente Luque def. Bryan Barberena via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:54
- Andre Fili def. Myles Jury via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Aljamain Sterling def. Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Manny Bermudez def. Benito Lopez via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 3:09
- Andrea Lee def. Ashlee Evans-Smith via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Nik Lentz def. Scott Holtzman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Luke Sanders def. Renan Barao via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:01
- Emily Whitmire def. Aleksandra Albu via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:01
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 1, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
