Final Combating Championship (UFC) Featherweight grapplers Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie will duel this weekend (Sat., Dec. 7, 2024) at UFC 310 from T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas, Nevada.
What is occurring? Why is the Flat Earth Combating Championship happening on a pay-per-view (PPV) occasion? We’re snubbing Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev in order that we are able to check out The Gracie Experiment in 2024? Make it make sense! There’s no motive Gracie must be combating ranked opposition with a 1-2 UFC report unfold throughout 5 years on the roster.
It is a baffling match up positioned bafflingly excessive on the cardboard. It’s the most effective proof of the 12 months that UFC matchmakers don’t know their ass from their elbows. However, the struggle might nonetheless be moderately enjoyable spectacle … when you can ignore all of the weirdness.
Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the betting odds and strategic keys for every athlete:
Mitchell vs. Gracie Betting Odds
Bryce Mitchell victory: -700
Bryce Mitchell by way of TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
Bryce Mitchell by way of submission: TBD
Bryce Mitchell by way of resolution: TBD
Kron Gracie victory: +500
Kron Gracie by way of TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
Kron Gracie by way of submission: TBD
Kron Gracie by way of resolution: TBD
Odds by way of DraftKings Sportsbook
How Mitchell Wins
It’s been a 12 months since “Thug Nasty” was banished to the shadow realm by Josh Emmett in certainly one of 2023’s gnarliest knockouts. Absolutely, a little bit of time to heal was a clever resolution. When at his finest, Mitchell is certainly one of his division’s finest grapplers, a powerful chain wrestler, and a deceptively strong Southpaw kickboxer as well.
This struggle favors Mitchell to such a level that the huge odds really feel too shut. He’s the significantly better striker and wrestler. Even Gracie’s typical benefit on the ground is known as into query. Certain, Kron would wash Mitchell in a no-gi grappling match, however is he more likely to submit Mitchell from his again whereas getting punched within the face? Charles Jourdain didn’t have any hassle with the Gracie guard, in spite of everything.
Realistically, Mitchell can beat up Gracie on the ft or smash him on the ground. Some mixture of the 2 appears like the most effective wager: land some huge photographs to persuade Gracie to tug guard, then comply with him to the ground and proceed to pile on the injury.
How Gracie Wins
For a second, Gracie’s sport was attention-grabbing. Aggressive boxing and physique photographs paired with world-class jiu-jitsu isn’t a mixture we see typically. Nonetheless, it rapidly turned obvious that Gracie has little or no in the way in which of footwork or wrestling, which means he’s pretty straightforward to strand at vary and stroll into counters.
There may be one factor going for Gracie right here: Mitchell may have interaction him willingly within the grappling, which at the least offers him an opportunity. Seeing as his solely alternative to win this struggle is on the ground, completely promoting out for the takedown might be his finest wager. A relentless takedown assault to begin the struggle can virtually assure Gracie both features prime place or forces Mitchell to reverse him and fall to the ground too.
The issue with Gracie’s earlier box-into-guard pull method is that he’s normally overwhelmed up by the point any grappling happens and is much less harmful because of this. If he instantly forces the grappling, he’ll at the least have his senses whereas attempting to make the unlikely occur.
Mitchell vs. Gracie Prediction
My ideas on who wins this struggle and the match up as an entire must be abundantly clear by now. Conspiracy theories apart, Mitchell is an precise MMA fighter of the trendy age. Gracie is relic whose method to the struggle sport was outdated by 1998.
The more than likely consequence is apparent.
Prediction: Mitchell by way of resolution