Power Slap

The sport, which has been licensed by Nevada State Athletic Commission, uses rules established by other slap fighting leagues. After a coin toss to decide who goes first, the first striker has a time limit of 30 seconds to deliver an open-handed slap to the opponent. Slaps must be below the eye but above the chin, without leading with the palm such that all hand to face contact takes place at the same time. Those being slapped may not flinch, raise their shoulder or tuck in their chins. After being slapped, the slapped competitor then has 30 seconds to recover and get back into position before it's their turn to slap. Fights which don't end in a knock out and go three rounds go to a judges' decision, using a 10-point system.[3]

Upon initial airing, the show created controversy[3] concerning the health of the participants and the inherent danger of the new sport.[4] Neuroscientist and chronic traumatic encephalopathy researcher Christopher Nowinski observed one participant displaying the fencing response after being struck, indicating serious brain injury.[1] Greek neurologist Nikolas Evangelau called the show a "recipe for disaster" due to how "impact to the head, from an angle, can cause rotational forces on the brain", leading to "hopefully temporary, but sometimes permanent disruption to brain function" and "even more serious complications".[3]

In response, show producers said, "We spend the money to make sure we have two healthy people in there, proper medical attention during and after the fight. These are the things we need to educate people on, just like we needed to educate people on mixed martial arts."[3] In an interview before the show aired, White said “In Slap, they take three-to-five slaps per event. Fighters in boxing take 300-400 punches per fight. And guess what: you know what my answer to that is? If you don't fucking like it, don't watch it! Nobody's asking you to watch this. Oh, you're disgusted by it? Watch The Voice.” [5]

World’s leading experts on CTE researcher, Dr. Bennet Omalu, stating the debilitating brain damage competitors risk suffering for such acitivites and said "It is a very dumb, very stupid and unsafe. It is primitive,” Omalu said. “To me, such a sport is inconsistent with the intelligence of humans. It is possible that a participant could die from this. Somebody could die or suffer catastrophic brain damage and become a vegetable. How can he [Dana White] make that statement? It is like saying you will make a loaded gun safe...... Why is TBS showing such a primitive sport? It should not be on TV.”[6]

Boxer and WBC interim lightweight champion, Ryan Garcia, stated "Power slap is a horrible idea and it needs to be stopped," [7]

UFC fighter Sean O'Malley refuses to watch Dana White's Power Slap league due to its association with brain injuries.[8]

• Official website
• Power Slap on IMDb