Kinektic Submission Grappling to Debut on UFC Fight Pass

LAS VEGAS – UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, today announced that it will exclusively stream the first-ever submission grappling event produced by Kinektic, a new team-formatted grappling promotion, live from the Anaheim Business Expo Center on Friday, August 16, at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

All Kinektic events will feature four competing teams, each comprising five world-class grapplers, in a tournament consisting of semifinals and a championship final. Additionally, all events will feature a grappling Super Fight, which will feature additional participants not already competing in the tournament.

The captains of the four star-powered teams are UFC veteran and MMA media personality Chael Sonnen; world-class grappler Craig Jones; UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith; and former UFC welterweight Chris Lytle.

Co-founded by UFC® Hall of Famer Urijah Faber, Las Vegas entrepreneur Keith Veltre, and award-winning combat sports announcer Sean Wheelock, Kinektic is a unique tournament-style promotion that will feature athletes from various combat sports disciplines, including mixed martial arts, grappling, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and more.

“Being a lifetime mixed martial artist and dedicating more than 27 years to the world of grappling, I’m excited and honored to be a founder of the new Kinektic promotion,” said UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber. “We want to bring the technique, fierce competitiveness, and star power of the world’s best grappling talent to the masses, and UFC FIGHT PASS is allowing us to do exactly that by showcasing our event to their subscribers.”

Faber, who was named Kinektic’s Vice President of Business Development, will also serve as a mat-side and backstage interviewer. Joining Faber will be UFC women’s flyweight Paige VanZant, who will serve as the lead color commentator, and Sean Wheelock, who will provide play-by-play commentary.

The one-night tournament consists of bouts with eight-minute time limits. Losers of the semifinal matches are eliminated; draws result in the elimination of both athletes; and the first team with five members eliminated will be out of the competition. The surviving team will be declared the winner. A feature unique to Kinektic Grappling is that the order in which athletes compete is not predetermined. There are thirty seconds between each bout and each team captain will be responsible for strategically deciding which team member will participate next. All members of each team must compete at least once. Captains will also have the option to compete for their team.

Ticket information, full team rosters, and Super Fight competitors will be announced soon.