LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Will Pounder is seeking sponsors for himself and his team in the first-ever submission grappling event produced by Kinektic, a new team-format grappling organization.
Pounder, who is an adult performer, also is an ex-Marine and Advanced No-Gi pro.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the tournament live from the Anaheim Business Expo Center on Friday, Aug. 16, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Kinektic’s inaugural event will feature four competing teams, each comprising five world-class grapplers, in a tournament consisting of semifinals and a championship final. The four team captains are UFC veteran and MMA media personality Chael Sonnen; world-class grappler Craig Jones; UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith; and former UFC welterweight, mixed martial artist and boxer Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.
Pounder, 32, will do battle on Lytle’s team.
“The rules for this tournament are really interesting,” said team coach and tactician adult industry director and shooter Just Dave, himself a 5th Degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. “It’s submission only. Wrestling with no punches; chokes and joint locks only.
“Chris Lytle brought Ricco in, and Ricco brought me in,” Dave added. “He asked if I knew any really good No-Gi grapplers. He said, ‘You trained me and I know you’ve trained a bunch of studs over the years.’ That’s when I brought Will in.”
Pounder served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years, from 2007 to 2012, and competed on weekends. He taught the All-Marine Grappling Team, ran the All-Marine Competition Team at Camp Pendleton, and started the jiu-jitsu club in Miramar in 2008.
“In those jiu-jitsu days I was known as a black belt killer, submitting black belts, which is extremely rare,” said Pounder.
After appearing on the TV series A Grunt’s Life, Pounder joined the adult industry in 2017, and met Just Dave in January of this year. He remembers that the director brushed him off at first.
“Dave thought I was hitting him up for work, but I was hitting him up because I kinda wanted to choke him out [laughs],” he said.
Later, at an industry event, Dave caught that Will was an ex-Marine.
“Anyone who serves his country gets my time,” Dave said, and the two began hitting the gym.
Since bringing Will onto the team, Dave has been putting Will in front of the top grappling and jiu-jitsu guys in Southern California to get him ready.
They have been training non-stop at The Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Now, Will Pounder and Just Dave are looking for sponsors—including adult studios, novelty companies, and others who are looking to reach a new audience of consumers with their exceptional brands via the Kinektic tournament on UFC Fight Pass.
To discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact Just Dave at [email protected].
