Secret to Karlaftis' Pass-Rushing Success Has Roots in Brazil

Sport has been in Brazil since 1925

One hundred years after the Gracie brothers developed jiu-jitsu in Brazil, Karlaftis will use it to gain some sort of advantage against the Los Angeles Chargers when the teams open their season Sept. 5 in the sport’s namesake country.

Credit former Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali and former NFL assistant coach Joe Kim for introducing Karlaftis to the combat sport. Hali, who remained in Kansas City after his career ended in 2017, connected with Karlaftis in the spring after his rookie year and introduced him to Kim. Kim introduced the young defensive end to Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ).

Hali registered 89½ NFL sacks over his 12-year career (2006-17), all with the Chiefs. But his ability to leverage blockers added another dimension once Hali began working with Kim.

“He was always a guy that created pressure,” Kim told Cleveland.com in 2016, “but he did it on effort. He didn't develop his skillset and needed the craft. When we got together and we started working together for four years, that's where Tamba Hali took off.”

Former Bill Belichick assistant meshed BJJ with NFL pass rushing

Kim began his NFL career with Bill Belichick’s Browns in 1992 and eventually transitioned to a pass-rush consultant for several teams. He also developed a Football Combatives program customized for edge rushers.

Locally in Kansas City, Karlaftis and Hali have been working with Master Dave Smarr, a BJJ black belt. And while the NFL outlawed two-a-days at training camp in recent years, Karlaftis and Hali created their own version to develop their skills in the combat sport.

The unique Chiefs duo – legendary former player and promising current defensive end – would begin their day at 6 a.m. with Smarr, then re-connect in the evenings to adapt techniques they learned to pass rushing.

Karlaftis, who signed a four-year, $93 million contract extension in July, led the Chiefs with eight sacks in 2024. A 6-4, 263-pound defensive end out of Purdue, Karlaftis entered the league as the Chiefs’ second of two first-round selections (30th overall) in the 2022 draft.

Along with Trent McDuffie, Isiah Pacheco, Bryan Cook and the rest of his draft class, Karlaftis is aiming to join the first set of NFL players in 32 years to reach Super Bowls in each of their first four NFL seasons.