Dana White hits back at critics as the Power Slap League battles to the forefront.
Power Slap Smackdown
Combat sports was knocked for a loop with the arrival of the Power Slap League. Billed as the world’s premier slap fighting organization, it’s led by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mastermind Dana White and highlights the brutal strength of unflinching competitors who put it all on the line for a shot at glory, while displaying their raw power and steadfast resolve.
Power Slap made its broadcast debut on TBS in January — but make no mistake. This isn’t some sort of reality TV contest. It is an honest-to-God sport, with male and female divisions, and it’s officially licensed and sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The rules are simple. A coin toss determines who launches the first blow. The bouts are arranged by MMA weight classes and typically last three rounds. In each, both competitors have the opportunity to deliver a single strike to their opponent’s face — using their fingers and palm above the wrist simultaneously — and the obligation to receive their opponent’s strike in return.
Like boxing and MMA, Power Slap judging is based on a 10-point must system, with a round winner scoring 10 points and the loser scoring nine or fewer — and of course, KO and TKOs deliver victories to heavy hitters. Strikers can accumulate fouls for clubbing — making contact outside the designated facial zone — or illegal wind-ups, and defenders, who hold their hands behind their back, can get zotted for flinching or blocking.
The sport came charging out of the gate, drawing 1 million viewers on the video-sharing platform Rumble — and a clip on the league’s TikTok account (@powerslap) showing Jewel “Kidd Diamond” Scott’s powerhouse knockout of Anthony Green has garnered more than 100 million views and counting!
But critics have taken aim at Power Slap, arguing it glorifies violence for violence’s sake. However, Power Slap president Frank Lamicella, who oversees all daily operations — including the safety of the fighters — recently drew parallels between the league and the early days of the UFC.
Lamicella says, “The criticisms of Power Slap are almost identical to those the UFC received in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Credit to [former UFC CEO] Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White on pressing ahead notwithstanding those criticisms. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the UFC that is beloved by fans around the world today.”
He admits, “We knew Power Slap would ‘disrupt the disrupted.’ Those scrolling through their content feeds pause when they see a Power Slap match.”
Prickly pundits have also decried the supposed lack of defense, which Lamicella calls a “misguided” notion. He explains, “While traditional evasion defense may not be used, there are other defensive techniques that our athletes are learning and will only get better at — for example, timing and precision to roll with a slap but not commit a flinching foul, learning the proper balance of tenseness and strength training to build the head, neck and upper body muscles.”
He also points out there are a litany of health and safety requirements which are met for each match. All athletes must pass strict medical testing, including brain scans, physicals and eye exams, and there is additional comprehensive testing for those aged 38 or older.
Given all of the attention Power Slap has received, it is impossible to deny that White, 53, understands what audiences crave. Just look at his track record: The sports mogul has helmed the UFC as president since 2001, and under his savvy stewardship it has grown to a multibillion-dollar enterprise with a global fan base that shows no sign of waning.
White also knows how to roll with the punches. He’s countered criticism of his latest enterprise by pointing out Power Slap warriors take three to five slaps per event while “fighters in boxing take 300 to 400 punches per fight.”
Boldly addressing detractors, White says, “Nobody’s asking you to watch. Oh, you’re disgusted by it? Watch The Voice.”
This last image aside, we have found no evidence that this mixing of female and male competitors exits in the sport, even though that would probably be the most “reality-based” pairing of the competition. That said, we did not exactly spend a lot of time looking around either. It seems like not slapping someone would be a much better alternative overall. You can learn more about the Power Slap League and its strikers should you wish, however. Or you can spend your time watching meaningless repeats of long-gone competitions on the NFL Network while you wait for more civilized beatings to resume on national television this fall.
