Anthony Smith believes Kinektic grappling ‘could be the future’ of grappling competition

Kinektic grappling is starting off with a bang. On Aug. 16, they will have their first event, which is a team grappling competition. The promotion is co-founded by Urijah Faber and features the likes of MMA stars Chael Sonnen, Chris Lytle, and Anthony Smith.

For Smith, when the Kinektic team asked him to be a part of it, he was extremely excited about it.

“When they came to me with the whole concept of it I was super excited. I have people reaching out with different ideas and concept but this one stood out,” Smith told BJPENN.com. “Just the way the format works out, the strategy that will go in it. Really, so many high-level names jumped on board. I’m just super excited.”

The strategy, as Anthony Smith mentions, will be intense. The competition uses teams of five, where the team has to be under 950 pounds combined. And nobody knows who they are facing until each captain sends out a fighter right before the match starts. There is also a very interesting rule that states you need a finish if you want to win.

“It is a team format so the way it works is a weight limit of under 950 pounds for your five guys, eight-minute time limit and if no one gets submitted there is no overtime. If no one finishes, both guys are eliminated so everyone is chasing submissions,” he explained. “You have to work for the finish. That will help some of the problems that the general fans have with jiu-jitsu. So this could be the future. This format will add a lot of storylines.”

However, something Anthony Smith is not happy about is the fact that he can’t compete. He wanted to start doing more jiu jitsu competitions, but a hand injury has derailed that. So, he will only be coaching his team.

“Well, it is not a perfect time. I’m still struggling with my hand injury. Some captains are competing but I just put the team together and coaching it,” he said. “I wish my hand would have been healed and we would have been able to stay on the same timeline and actually grapple against these guys.”

Kinektic 1 goes down on Aug. 16 at 10 p.m. ET, and is airing on UFC Fight Pass.

Do you think Kinektic grappling is the future of grappling competition?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/15/2019.