A new grappling promotion will be having its debut event in August, and it’s going to be backed by a lot of MMA and jiu-jitsu star power.
Kinektic is a team-based event co-founded by Urijah Faber, Sean Wheelock, and Keith Veltre. A press release from the promotion revealed that in addition to a “grappling superfight,” the event would feature a tournament with four teams comprised of five competitors. The team leaders announced for the inaugural event include UFC veteran Chael Sonnen, two-division Polaris champion Craig Jones, and UFC fighters Anthony Smith and Chris Lytle. UFC fighter Paige VanZant will also be a part of the event as the lead commentator.
The format of the tournament encourages relatively quick matches and submission-hunting. The competitors who lose their semifinal matches (which comprise the first round of competition) will be eliminated, and matches that end in a draw will see both competitors booted from the running. Teams are out of the running once all five of their competing athletes are eliminated.
Kinektic has also gotten rid of the standard team grappling format that pre-determines competitor matchups. Instead, the team captains will have thirty seconds between matches to decide which of their team members will go up next (with the captains themselves being an option to roll into the fray), offering a unique strategic approach to what is usually considered an “individual” sport. The rest of the competitors, including those who will compete in the superfight, have yet to be announced.
Kinektic’s debut will stream live on UFC Fight Pass on Friday, August 16 at 10 p.m. EST.
