The Rules Of Dana White’s Power Slap, Explained

Highlights

• Power Slap is a new combat sports company similar to the UFC, featuring weight classes and rankings.
• Dana White’s experiment with slap-fighting faced a rocky start and drew heavy criticism from the public.
• Defense is essentially illegal in Power Slap, leading to controversy among critics and medical professionals.

The world of combat sports can be incredibly weird and wacky. While that group of sports is comprised of MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, and more, it added a new sport last year in the form of slap fighting. While slap fighting contests have been around for years, the sport has risen in popularity since 2023 due to Dana White.

In late 2022, the longtime face of the UFC, Dana White, started Power Slap. Now approaching their eighth event, the company has drawn a lot of criticism, and some praise. For those looking to learn about the new combat sports company, we’ve got you covered.

5 Power Slap Is Set Up Very Similar To The UFC

There Are Weight Classes, Rankings, And More

First things first, Power Slap is a league set-up very similar to the UFC. Now, what does that mean exactly? Well, it’s a combat sport, so it means that men are kept from competing with women. It also means that all the athletes have to make weight for their specific weight class, and Power Slap has many weight classes.

For men, they have everything from welterweight, all the way up to super heavyweight. While those weight classes are filled out and have current champions, the same cannot be said about the women’s side of the company. While women have competed in the past, there are no champions or anything like that yet.

4 Power Slap Has Had A Rocky Beginning

Dana White’s New Experiment Has Largely Struggled

When Dana White announced that he was starting to promote slap-fighting back in 2022, there was a mixed reception at best. However, when footage began being shown, public sentiment was almost entirely negative. It didn’t help that White was seen slapping his wife weeks after announcing the new company.

Power Slap debuted to poor ratings on TBS, and it only got worse over the course of the first year that the company was around. They lost their television deal in March 2023, and have been streaming on Rumble ever since.

3 What Are The Rules Of Power Slap?

The Rules Of Power Slap Have Led To Heavy Scrutiny

The rules of Power Slap and slap-fighting in general are pretty simple honestly, and very similar to MMA. To decide who goes first, there is a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss has the opportunity to slap first, and he or she will get 60 seconds to line up their strike.

After that first strike, it’s essentially just going back and forth until either there’s a knockout, or they go all five rounds. After five rounds, judges will submit their scorecard using the 10-point system that was used in boxing and later MMA.

2 Is There Any Way To Defend Yourself In Power Slap?

In Power Slap, You’re Penalized For Flinching

The aforementioned controversy surrounding Power Slap largely comes from the rules of the sport. While it’s relatively similar to MMA, there’s one big issue. That issue is, that defense is essentially illegal. If one tries to roll with the strike or move at all, they will be penalized.

Furthermore, if the individual being slapped flinches, they will be penalized, and potentially be forced to take the strike again. Unsurprisingly, banning defense in a combat sport was controversial. However, Dana White has always defended slap-fighting, arguing that slappers take far less punishment than boxers and MMA fighters do.

1 Power Slap’s Rules Have Been Heavily Slammed By Critics

Many Medical Professionals And Politicians Have Slammed Dana White’s New Sport

Despite Dana White’s best attempt to try and defend his new slap-fighting company, he’s faced a lot of criticism. While the company lost its TV deal, that’s not even scratching the surface of it. Many medical professionals, including former WWE wrestler Christopher Nowinski, have slammed the new sport for the amount of brain damage that can come from slap-fighting,

Furthermore, several politicians got involved as well. Two congressmen, Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Don Bacon of Nebraska, launched a congressional inquiry into the dangers of slap-fighting last February. Famous NFL concussion doctor Dr. Bennet Omalu also chimed in, stating that the “primitive” sport could lead to deaths in the future.

That criticism led to Power Slap losing their television deal, and facing a lot of public backlash. However, they’re still going strong as of this writing. With more events scheduled throughout 2024, it seems that Dana White has no plans of changing his newest creation anytime soon.