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Trying to escape a 94-year-old man’s hellish grip on the mat is probably not what most people have in mind when they think about bonding with their elderly relatives.

But, then again, the Gracies are not most people.

Khonry Gracie, the 20-year-old son of UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie, is set for his pro-MMA debut at Bellator 192. His meeting with fellow pro debutant Devon Brock, which takes place on Jan. 20, comes after a single amateur MMA bout.

When it comes to MMA, that’s not an extensive resume. But not only does he get to have the guidance of a pioneer in Royce, he’s also been basically raised on the mats. That meant also having the type of high-level training experience that most people could only dream of.

Like, for instance, rolling with the late Helio Gracie.

“Last time I saw Vovo (‘grandpa,’ in Portuguese) Helio, we trained on the mat,” Gracie said during a recent media day in Los Angeles. “He put me in his guard, and he goes, ‘Pass my guard.’ I go, ‘OK.’ He’s 94 years old. I’m like, ‘It will be easy. No problem.’”

Spoiler alert: He was wrong.

“I go, I try to push his leg down, and it won’t budge,” Gracie said. “I’m looking at him like, ‘He’s strong. Damn.’ So I go and push the other leg. He won’t budge. I put my leg right on his waist, to try to pass the guard, and he pins my hand down.”

Helio, whom Khonry misses “every day,” died on Jan. 29, 2009, at 95. So, doing the math, Khonry was still in his early teens when he last trained with his grandfather. Still, he vividly remembers the impression that he was left with that day.

“I try to pull my hand out and his grip – that was the one memory I’ll never forget: His grip was so strong I could never, ever in my life pull my hand out from that,” Gracie said.

Helio didn’t get to see his grandson receive his recently earned brown belt. But as he prepares to make his pro debut, Gracie is invested in honoring his grandfather by carrying on with the goal of spreading jiu-jitsu as far and wide as they can.

“We’re here to carry on the family name and legacy,” Gracie said. “Make my grandfather proud, make my father proud.”

To hear from Gracie, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 192, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.

Filed under: Bellator, Blue Corner, News, Videos