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And it’s official we have another new combat sport to look forward to – The Power Slap League. All thanks to the UFC’s Dana White. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has just approved The Power Slap League to be a licensed athletic competition in Nevada.
This will be the first regulated version of the sport ever and the UFC boss believes that this will be the next big thing in combat sports.
Slapping as a sport takes off with “The Dumpling”
According to some sources, the professionalizing of slapping can be traced to Russia.
The events in Russia went viral in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 lockdowns, with slap-fighting became more popular. This was driven most notably, Vasily “The Dumpling” Kamotsky is referred to as the “Muhammad Ali of Slap Fighting” and became the face of the sport.
His fights achieved viral status with over 50 million views. He even fought an opponent in, yes, a phone box, a phone box that was plonked in the middle of a lake that was frozen over.
Yet the UFC’s White won’t be the first to introduce professional slap fighting to the US for the first time.
In March of last year, Logan Paul and Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed up with Punchdown to launch the Slap Fighting Championship, their very own promotion. The event took place as a part of the Arnold Sports Festival hosted by Schwarzenegger. The Terminator seemed a bit taken aback by the level of violence, however.
Paul’s involvement seems somewhat genuine too, having knocked out cold a much larger opponent during a slapping competition. The video entitled “THE SLAP THAT CHANGED MY LIFE” has 20+ million views.
In an interview, Paul said: “I love the absurdity of it. I love the idea that two guys could just stand across from each other and just slap each other and see who falls down first. It’s hilarious to me. It’s like, how is that a real event?”
Background to The Power Slap League
Combat sports fans are truly spoiled for choice now, from the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship to the Pillow Fight Championship (read more about that here).
The Power Slap League genesis can be seen from the sale of the UFC in 2016 (read more here); White now has an estimated net worth of $500 million.
White is the majority owner of the new league, together with former UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and others, including UFC Chief Business Officer (CBO) Hunter Campbell, who has also invested some of his money in it.
What are the rules of The Power Slap League
The rules are as simple as you can likely imagine – two competitors smack the living daylights out of each other until one of them is eliminated or gives in.
One key point is that the two fighters slap each other with bare open hands. However, White and his fellow owners hope to give it its unique interpretation by introducing additional rules.
The new sports league plans to use a 10-point scoring system, which is used in both boxing and mixed martial arts. Additionally, it will prevent unjust weight disparities and restrictions on which parts of the face may be struck.
The UFC’s CBO Campbell said that this sport is not just about hitting the other player in the face but requires a lot of skill, and the players participating will be highly experienced.
Campbell said: “After testing it, it became clear to us that there’s massive potential here as a sport, not unlike the early years of the UFC.”
The NASC has also committed to competitors being subjected to pre-fight medical testing, and the event will occur under the medical staff’s supervision. The owners also want to regulate the sport by ensuring the presence of doctors and ambulances. They’ll also ensure that the players undergo frequent eye tests, MRIs, and MRAs.
Expect fewer gimmicks like fighting in a phone box and much more of a focus on the fighters’ health, including likely the permitted use of mouthguards and earplugs.
Controversies around slapping as a sport
Even before White threw his hat in the ring, the reaction to the Paul and Schwazeneger event was pretty whithering saying it was a “sad excuse for sport.”
The main concern regarding the sport is that, firstly, it is dangerous to engage in any fighting when you are taking shots to the head because there aren’t any medical protocols or standards in place. Apparently, the key to slap fighting is not moving or flinching when you get a blow to the face.
Secondly, in some matches, the sport’s integrity can legitimately be questioned. In some instances, competitors’ safety seems to have had scant regard – 400 pounds men versus an opponent below 140 pounds. White and his colleagues say they will institute weight classes to make sure this type of thing doesn’t happen.
In one tragic case in 2021, a competitor in Poland actually died taking part in a fight. Artur “Walus” Walczak, collapsed to the ground after he was knocked down four times during a competition. He was taken to the hospital and it was diagnosed he had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage; he subsequently died due to multiple organ failure due to his injuries.
The reaction from the wider MMA community has been no less withering either. Some headlines include:
- ‘Dana White’s Power Slap League’ and NSAC irresponsibly sanction unbridled brain trauma
- NAC’s approval of slap fighting is an open-handed blow to brain trauma concerns
One major issue cited by critics is that the sport is, in effect, all offense, no defense. Whereas in MMA and boxing, competitors can block attacks, slapping competitors only take heavy blows, not just to their face, but blows that could impair their brains.
White has doubled down on the criticism, calling opponents “goofballs”.
What will happen next?
It is expected that the Power Slap League will be held at the UFC Apex (its training facility in Las Vegas) at the end of 2022 behind closed doors. It has also been claimed that the event will be aired via “a major network partner“. It could have serious pulling power also with White admitting UFC stars could take part in The Power Slap League.
This will be one to watch, as athlete safety will be really, really critical here. Much like the NFL has faced a serious crisis this year around concussions The Power Slap League will be in the crosshairs if competitors face serious head injuries.
White and the UFC revolutionized combat sports once, but this time maybe even trickier than last time.
