"Nobody wanted it" - Executive reveals how David Zaslav saved Dana White's Power Slap League
Dana White helped build the UFC into the pioneers and the world's leading promotion in mixed martial arts. However, the Power Slap League, another of his combat sports ventures, has not performed as per expectations nor garnered enough fan suport.
According to a recent report, Dana White did not find much favor when he wanted to launch the show too. According to an executive close to David Zaslav, the chief executive officer and president of Warner Bros. Discovery, it was only the insistence of Ari Emanuel and Craig Piligian that got Zaslav to invest in the show.
Emanuel is the CEO of Endeavor, an entertainment and media agency that owns the UFC and the WWE, while Piligian is a producer who heads Pilgrim Films & Television. The executive reveals that Zaslav was convinced by the two and went as far as canceling other shows in place of Power Slap.
The executive said in an article in The Hollywood Reporter:
“But if it’s something he wants, money’s no object... Nobody wanted it [Power Slap] — and, by the way, we knew we were going to get grief for canceling shows in order to put on people slapping each other, but David wanted it, so we did it." [h/t The Hollywood Reporter]
Check out the comments on David Zaslav's involvement with Power Slap:
From the THR article on David Zaslav:
Among them: his insistence that Discovery invest in Dana White’s Power Slap league at the urging of Ari Emanuel and Craig Piligian. “Nobody wanted it — and, by the way, we knew we were going to get grief for canceling shows in order to put… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/jSSf8VSW2Q
UFC fighter blasts Dana White and the UFC for exploiting his mother's illness and not awarding him bonuses
UFC welterweight contender Phil Rowe recently came out with grievances against the promotion and Dana White.
He spoke about the UFC using his mother's illness in promotional material against his consent but not paying him his dues in bonuses despite his strong performances.
"I've knocked out three people in a row... No bonus, no nothing. My mom is dealing with two forms of cancer, they're plastering her on the TV screens, talking about my mom, which I didn't ask them to do."
Rowe has won three straight fights via knockout despite missing weight in two of them. He demanded to be compensated for his showings:
"If you're going to blast my mom up on the arena and talk about her... Bless me. I went out there and stretched the guy that makes three times more money as I made. Show me some."
Rowe is scheduled to face Neil Magny this weekend in Jacksnville at UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria.
Check out Phil Rowe's comments below: