As revealed this week on the Brazilian podcast Mundo da Luta,
Rickson
Gracie, currently fighting Parkinson’s disease, will not be
present in son Kron
Gracie’s corner for his return to the Octagon at UFC
310.
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Gracie will square off against Bryce
Mitchell in a featherweight pairing on the main card at the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
“I’m very hopeful that he will have a good fight,” Rickson said. “I
want him to win, but now I’m giving him space and we have a certain
understanding. And now he has space to decide his life in the best
way. I pray for him, but now I’m going to stay at home and
watch.”
However, Sherdog has learned that Helio Gracie’s grandson will have
a strong team around him when he enters the Ocagon. In addition to
training partner Nate Diaz,
Kron will have the support of Sergio Zveiter, Rickson’s best friend
— the only one present for all of his fights.
“Rickson is like a brother to me. I was present in all his fights
since he was 17 years old — in all his jiu-jitsu fights and then in
vale tudo,” Zveiter said. “In the two against King Zulú, in both
editions of Japan Opens, even the famous challenge at the
Luta-Livre headquarters in 1988, I was with him. I was also
together with Kron in his three fights in the UFC. I took the black
belt from the hands of master Helio Gracie, and I know that he
wants me to go and I will be there.”
Considered a legend in the world of law in Brazil, Zveiter has been
a federal deputy twice and has been a lawyer for Rede Globo, the
largest telecommunications company in Latin America, for over 20
years. And despite his busy schedule in the final days of 2024,
Zveiter didn’t think twice when he received the call from “nephew
Kron” informing him of the fight.
“Nothing for me is more important than this,” he said. “I saw Kron
being born; he’s like a son to me. I go on [Dec. 5], arrive
practically on the day of the fight and return on [Dec. 8]. Nate
will be the main cornerman, but Kron wanted me to be there. I did
with Rickson what I’m doing with Kron now.”