The Berimbolo Kid's Match of the Week - Week 9 - Kron Gracie vs. Gilbert “Durinho” Burns - BJJ Pro Cup 2011

(Last week’s edition can be found HERE)

This week's match is Kron Gracie vs. Gilbert “Durinho” Burns which was a super fight from the 2011 BJJ Pro Cup in Biella, Italy. I only saw this match recently myself, and thought that maybe it was a match many of you have never seen also. 

Kron Gracie is one of the top competitors today at the black belt level. He is the son of Rickson Gracie who is arguably the greatest Jiu-Jitsu practitioner of all time. Kron has been serious competitor since he was a teenager, making a big name for himself at the lower belts, claiming some of our sports major titles. During his run at the lower belts, he managed to rack up a 51 submission streak. 

He is a four time Pan American Champion (2005 purple, 2007 brown, 2008 brown weight & absolute), a two time World Champion (2006 purple, 2007 brown), and a one-time European (2009 black) and ADCC Champion (2013). 

Something which sets Kron Gracie apart from everybody else is his style of Jiu-Jitsu. The style of Jiu-Jitsu which Kron uses is very basic, something you hardly see in competition today. He does not rely on any guards such as de la riva or spider guard, and does definitely not rely on the 50/50 guard and berimbolo. Instead the only guard he mostly uses throughout his matches is the closed guard. 

Kron Gracie

Gilbert “Durinho” Burns is a black belt under Ramon Lemos, and was once part of the Atos team. He was once considered to be one of the top fighters in the lightweight division. He left full time Jiu-Jitsu competition in 2012 in order to pursue a career in MMA. 

Just like Kron Gracie, Durinho also has numerous accomplishments to his name. At the black belt level, he is a two time NoGi world champion (2013, 2010), and a one time World (2010), World Pro (2010), and Brazilian National Champion (2010). 

Durinho's game is very fast and aggressive. He is especially known for his fierce throws and takedowns at the start of a match. After the takedown, he looks to smash his opponents guard and transition to back control.  

Gilbert “Durinho” Burns

This match isn't very fast paced, but you do get to see some nice takedowns and passing attempts from Durinho. The thing which is special about the match is the finish. The variation of the submission used is something I have never seen before. 

The video of the match can be found below. I hope you guys enjoy! 

See you next week!

(If you are viewing on a mobile device, please click HERE)