Ex-Chairman of NSAC admits sanctioning Power Slap League was a mistake, Dana White responds
Dana White's Power Slap has been far from the success the UFC president envisioned it to be. The show's viewership on TBS has been underwhelming and the ratings have more or less steadily dwindled with each passing episode.
Many sports enthusiasts have shown their concern over the non-defensive nature of the sport, citing competitors might suffer long-term brain aneurysms as a result of receiving unguarded blows to the head.
"Shame on TBS! if they're going to air that Power Slap Fighting League!"
@arielhelwani https://t.co/2UmlVEZk7D
Slap fighting is a sport where two fighters stand on either side of a podium and take turns slapping each other until one is unable to continue. For fights that don't end in a knockout, Power Slap has a three-round system after which the bout goes into a judge's decision.
Last October, White, and his business partners succeeded in convincing the Nevada State Athletic Commission to license the Power Slap.
Now, months after voting to approve the slap-fight promotion, Stephen J. Cloobeck, the ex-chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who voted to license the sport, stated that he perhaps made a mistake:
“I made a mistake, I’m not happy about it. [Transcripts via Associated Press]”
Obviously, Dana White doesn't feel the same. Speaking to The Spun by Sports Illustrated, the 53-year-old dismissed Cloobeck's claims, saying that the only duty of an athletic commission is to make sure the athletes are protected and not selectively licensing events of their personal preference:
"This is the second time I’ve been through this. It’s the same exact stuff people said about UFC, literally verbatim. As far as Cloobeck, he’s not on the commission anymore. But why wouldn’t you want it to be regulated?... Regulation isn’t about personal taste or preference. Athletic commissions are tasked with protecting adults who are knowingly and willfully choosing to engage in an unarmed combat sport."
Dana White suggests Power Slap is safer than boxing
UFC president Dana White's new slap-fighting venture Power Slap has been heavily scrutinized by the sporting community and public for being an overall unsafe sport.
However, the 53-year-old doesn't see it that way. In a recent appearance on Newsmax, White suggested that Power Slap fighters suffer less punishment per event than boxers incur in a boxing match.
The UFC president reasoned that his slap fighters receive only three slaps or less per event as opposed to boxers who get hit with four to six hundred punches in a bout:
"Let me tell you this, so in boxing [in] an average fight, a boxer takes four-to-six hundred punches, and that doesn't include the punches he took sparring getting ready for the fight. These guys take three or less slaps per event."
Catch Dana White's comments below: