Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying the spectacle that is Dana White’s ‘Power Slap’ league. The sport of ‘slap fighting’ involves two competitors standing across from one another and trying to knock each other out with slaps or winning via stoppage by forcing their opponent to withdraw or winning on points based on the ‘effectiveness’ of their slaps.

In a recent interview on ‘The Pete and Sebastian Show’, White revealed the popularity of his venture as he stated, “I’m talking about hundreds of millions of views these things do, it’s incredible.” But the sport also has its own share of injuries and accidents, as in the latest episode of ‘Power Slap: Road to the Title – Season 2’, the league was faced with a “freak” injury sustained by one of its contestants!

Dana White’s ‘Power Slap’ league competitor injures his arm while “training”

According to a statement made by Nitin Agarwal, neuroscientist and expert in traumatic brain injuries, to the Washington Post, he had revealed the issues ‘Power Slap’ athletes could face. He stated, “These people pass out from one blow. In reality…they suffered a traumatic brain injury.”

Brain damage is a real concern in any sport that involves the skull taking impacts, especially in the case of ‘Power Slap’ where flinching or trying to lessen the blow of a slap results in a foul, which means competitors have to endure full-power shots and remain standing.

But that isn’t the only injury that can occur as in a recent episode of the ‘Power Slap’ show, Dana White revealed that Lorenzo Florian, a super heavyweight competitor, “…injured his arm training with the dummy. And it’s one of these freak accidents that happens in all of sports not just this one.”

White further went on to state, “And he’s a tough guy so he was trying to power through it but it became very clear that he was in enough pain that we needed to have Dr. Davidson come and get him checked out.”

With one of its contestants possibly out for an extended period due to his injured arm, it remains to be seen how the show will progress in the next episode. The incident underscores the physical risks involved in ‘Power Slap’ and raises questions about the safety measures in place for participants. However, as the league continues to grow in popularity, Dana White recently confessed that it was ‘Power Slap’s rise that led to the UFC finding itself in a partnership with Saudi Arabia!

‘Power Slap’ led to the UFC’s deal with ‘Riyadh Season’

The UFC recently announced its first foray into Saudi Arabia with the upcoming June 22 card that will feature Robert Whittaker taking on Khamzat Chimaev for a middleweight title eliminator bout. The event is a part of the UFC’s deal with the annual sports and entertainment extravaganza, ‘Riyadh Season’, and will include a sponsorship deal for a UFC event in Las Vegas, a UFC event in Riyadh, and surprisingly, ‘Power Slap’ competitions.

According to the UFC head honcho, the deal happened because the region was fascinated with slap fighting! During the recent UFC St. Louis post-fight press conference, White confessed about the deal with Saudi Arabia, “Well, it started with Power Slap, they wanted Power Slap. I got in there and started talking to them, and then we did another UFC fight, too.”

This statement highlights the growing influence of ‘Power Slap’, a sport that has drawn both fascination and criticism but has still carved out a niche for itself in the realm of combat sports. What are your thoughts on ‘Power Slap’ and its popularity? Share them with us in the comments below!