The Berimbolo Kid's Match of the Week - Week 25 - Marcelo Garcia vs. Kron Gracie - ADCC 2009

(The previous edition can be found HERE)

Here we go again! Welcome to the 25th edition of Match of the Week. This week's match is a classic from the 2009 ADCC. It is Marcelo Garcia vs. Kron Gracie. 

Marcelo Garcia (also known as “Marcelinho”) is a black belt under Fabio Gurgel and competes for Alliance Jiu-Jitsu. Since his debut in the black belt division, Marcelo has been a stand out competitor and a fan favourite at competitions. Marcelo is considered by many to be the pound for pound best grappler in the world today.

Marcelo is an extremely accomplished Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. At the black belt level, he is a five time World Champion (2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011), a four time ADCC Champion (2003, 2005, 2007, 2011), a three time Brazilian National Champion (2004, 2006 weight & absolute), and a one-time Pan American Champion (2007). He is also a member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame.

In terms of grappling ability, Marcelo is very well rounded. He is excellent both on his back and on his feet. In particular, Marcelo is best known for his x-guard, butterfly guard and guillotine choke. Over the years, these have been known to become Marcelo's signature moves.  What's good about Marcelo is he always hunts for the submission. He doesn't play to win by points or advantages, but instead looks to finish the fight and submit his opponent.

Marcelo Garcia

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. Today, he is mainly focusing his attention on MMA.

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, berimbolo, or worm guard. Instead, the only guard he mostly uses throughout his matches is the closed guard.

Kron Gracie

A classic match! I usually try not to give away the result in most MOTW's, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of you have seen it. If you haven't, you're in for a treat! I watched this match multiple times and I always still enjoy it as much as the first time.

I think this match in particular really shows how amazing of a grappler Marcelo is. I mean, he is endlessly attacking Kron, going for takedowns, sweeps, and tripping him up. Not to take anything away from Kron, he is a great talent in his own right, but I think Marcelo's experience really showed in this match.

Make sure you take a look at the video below! I hope you guys enjoy!

See you next week!

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