Dana White’s latest project is a US-based slap-fighting championship called the ‘POwer Slap League” which he just launched officially at a press conference in New York.
Following the success of slap-fighting championships in Europe, Dana White has decided to bring slap-fighting to the USA, and he is introducing it directly on the big stage. The face of the UFC as we know it, is now happy to launch the “Power Slap League”.
The first destination is Nevada, which makes sense, given the UFC’s (and therefore, Dana White’s) long-standing relationship with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which gave its approval for the Power Slap league last month (October 2022).
Slap-fighting is a sport where fighters take turns slapping each other in the face until one of them gets knocked out or gives up. Still considered controversial, the sport is very big in Europe and is often televised in prime slots on sports networks.
Countering the criticism coming his way for the Power Slap League, White has introduced some rules to slap-fighting that are new, and according to him, make this combat sport safer.
The inaugural Power Slap League matches will air on TBS in a series format, featuring eight episodes. The show is expected to air in December 2022.
Similar to the Ultimate Fighter, White has organized trials in order to draw as many top-level slap-fighting competitors as possible, and pick the very best for his Power Slap League. White also said at the press conference that UFC fighters, past, and present, might end up in the slap-fighting mix too.
Rules-wise, a coin toss determines who gets the first turn, with the ability to win by points, awarded by a panel of judges, in addition to winning by knockout. The point system wil be the same 10-point system used in boxing and MMA and will feature negative points as well.
Moreover, the Power Slap League will also feature weight classes for female and male fighters.
According to White:
“This thing is big right now in Russia, Poland, other parts of the world,” White said. “We wanna launch this thing here and take this thing global like we did the UFC…we have a much bigger platform than when we started…the level we do this, the sport of slap fighting is going to go to a whole new level.”
You can learn more about the leaguethrough their website.
