WATCH: Nina-Marie Daniele's reactions as UFC fighters give honest opinions on Dana White's Power Slap League
With her quirky humor and informal interview style, Nina-Marie Daniele has fast become a staple in MMA reporting, and her new segment on UFC fighters' opinions on Power Slap League is a treat to watch.
Slap fighting is seen as a taboo sport by many, and even Dana White's attempts at turning the sport global with Power Slap League have been a subject of criticism by many in the combat sports community.
Earlier this weekend, Daniele posted snippets of her interviews with various UFC fighters reacting to the infamous slap fighting competition on social media. The segment included the opinions of A-listers, including Alexander Volkanovski, Colby Covington, and Leon Edwards.
Suffice it to say the MMA influencer's reaction to the athletes' answers was as engaging, if not more, than the responses themselves.
When Volkanovski claimed that he finds the Power Slap League brutal and would love to slap Ilia Topuria, she could not help but laugh awkwardly, pointing to the camera as if she warning the Spaniard.
Responding to Covington's description of the infamous sport as beautiful violence, Daniele also chimed in agreeing with 'Chaos', all the while trying to contain her laughter before failing miserably.
The 35-year-old was already struggling not to laugh while asking Edwards' opinion about the same. The former Playboy Playmate cracked up uncontrollably when welterweight star Shavkat Rakhmonov gave a nonchalant reply, saying he was not a fan of Power Slap.
The only time she could compose herself was when she asked the same question to light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker.
Interestingly enough, Walker, who is usually one of the most unintentionally funny individuals, gave a very logical answer, claiming he doesn't fancy being part of a sport where one is not allowed to defend incoming blows.
Watch Nina-Marie Daniele's reactions below:
Dana White corroborates Nina-Marie Daniele's assessment of Power Slap League
In a recent interview with Nina-Marie Daniele, UFC CEO Dana White agreed with the MMA influencer's assessment that Power Slap League is invoking the same reactions that UFC did during its early days.
During the interview, he said:
"You are absolutely right. It's exactly what it's like, except we get way more press now than we did back then."
Catch Nina-Marie Daniele's comments below (4:55):
During its infancy, UFC and, by extension, MMA faced the threat of being shut out of the US. One of the primary villains in the UFC story was former Senator John McCain, who described the sport as human cockfighting in a letter to state governors in 1996.
However, the sport later introduced various regulations to it, enhancing its credibility and eventually turning itself into the multi-million dollar industry that it is today.
Power Salp already has stringent rules and regulations in place. Still, many have called to impose a ban on the sport, arguing that the continuous head trauma sustained by slap fighters risks major health complications.