Khonry Gracie made his amateur MMA debut in September, and has already signed a contract with a top promotion.
The son of MMA legend Royce Gracie defeated Ben Clark via decision in a three-round amateur welterweight bout in Memphis, and is now set to make his Bellator debut against a yet-to-be-defined opponent at Bellator 192 on Jan. 20. MMA Fighting confirmed the news following a report by Combate.
Khonry Gracie, who wore Bellator gloves in his amateur bout in September, spoke with MMA Fighting days after the fight, and said that he would sign with the first big promotion that reached out to him.
“[Fighting in the UFC] would be fun, I think it would have some kind of meaning,” he said, "but, like you said, my dad is with Bellator now, so… Again, it’s first come first serve. I’ll go anywhere. I just want to fight, I just want to represent my last night, my grandfather's jiu-jitsu. I’m here for the family, I’m not here to see what promotion I fight for. That has nothing to do with it.
"What's my biggest goal (in MMA)? Represent my family. Represent jiu-jitsu as best as I can. I didn’t come here and join MMA to do boxing, muay thai. I came here to represent jiu-jitsu, represent ‘vovô’ Helio’s jiu-jitsu.”
Bellator 192 is scheduled to take place at the Great Wester Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and is headlined by Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald for the welterweight title.
The fight card also includes the first Bellator heavyweight tournament quarterfinal, featuring Chael Sonnen against Quinton Jackson, and the return of former lightweight champion Michael Chandler versus Goiti Yamauchi.
Full story here:
Royce Gracie’s son Khonry signs with Bellator, debuts in January
