Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain UFC 288 Prediction, Odds

Kron Gracie UFC 288

The last time we saw Gracie in the Octagon, he was picking up Fight of the Night honours in a 2019 loss to Cub Swanson. That was just his second UFC bout after beating Alex Caceres in his debut. Gracie never planned to be away from the sport for so long but given the COVID-19 pandemic, a move from California and Montana, the endeavour to open a gym and general life getting in the way landed him where he is heading into UFC 288. Naturally, one of the first questions that’ll have to be answered is about ring rust.

Most analysts would say that Gracie is among the best grapplers in the UFC but that was before the long layoff. He’s not lethal while standing but he creates chaos and openings with his pressure boxing. His goal will be to get Jourdain down to the ground and if he does, he’ll have the edge. What should work in his favour is that Jourdain loves to mix it up. He loves to be aggressive and sometimes gets a little wild with his swings or kicks. That’ll provide Gracie with some decent openings to get this down to the canvas where he can work towards a submission. Jourdain has struggled when taken down, so if you see Gracie getting an early edge there, that might signal a good opening to jump in with some live betting on Gracie.

Charles Jourdain UFC 288

Jourdain loves to move forward and be aggressive. Sometimes that works for him and sometimes it works against him. He’d be wise to reel it in a little bit in this bout – even if that is his nature.

Jourdain is going to have a clear-cut edge in this bout as long as it’s kept standing. He can outpoint his foe if he needs to and he’ll surely render more damage if they’re both upright. Where he’s going to lose is he goes forward with reckless abandon as he sometimes does as that’s going to create the exact openings that Gracie is looking for.

The fact of the matter is that Gracie is no spring chicken (he’s now 34 years old), he has less than 10 bouts of professional MMA under his belt and he’s been away for four years. There’s a chance that Jourdain gets pulled down to the canvas and is put in some bad positions. It feels like there’s a greater chance that Gracie gets caught with some punishing shots that send a reminder that it’s not that easy to step away and come back.

There’s also the small chance that Jourdain is fighting for his role in the UFC here and at the very least, his standing. He’s lost two in a row and a third puts his title aspirations and role in jeopardy. He should be quite careful and focused to make sure his losing streak ends here.

Gracie vs. Jourdain UFC 288 Prediction:

Jourdain via Knockout