Power Slap is an American slap fighting promotion company co-owned by Zuffa, LLC founder Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White, the chief executive officer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Power Slap first gained notoriety by producing a reality television show titled Power Slap: Road to the Title, originally broadcast by the TBS network in the United States and on Rumble internationally. Contestants on the show slapped each other in the face to win the "Power Slap League" tournament. The show's first season consisted of eight pre-recorded episodes and was followed by the Power Slap 1 live event that aired exclusively on Rumble.
The show was executive produced by Power Slap's owner Dana White. The show was due to premiere on January 11, 2023, but was delayed a week after White was filmed slapping his wife in a Mexican nightclub at a New Year's Eve party.
The show, considered the premier program of the slap fighting combat sport, had significantly lower ratings than its professional wrestling lead-in programming, AEW Dynamite, consistently drawing around 250,000 viewers compared to Dynamites near 800,000 viewers.. On March 13, 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery and TBS representatives confirmed to media sources that the network would no longer air Power Slap: Road to the Title following its first-season finale, which had aired the week prior, partly due to its low ratings. After Road to the Title cancellation by TBS, White confirmed that Power Slap would continue to hold events and produce content for Rumble. During the Power Slap 5 live event, it was announced that the second season of Road to the Title was set to air on Rumble. The second season began airing on November 15, 2023. The third season began airing on July 24, 2024. Power Slap content later moved from Rumble to YouTube.
Rules Power Slap, which has been licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, uses rules similar to those established by other slap fighting leagues. After a coin toss to decide who goes first, the first striker has a time limit of 60 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 60 seconds to recover before they get back into position prior to their turn to slap. Fights which do not end in a knockout and go three rounds go to the judges' decision, using a 10-point system with judging based on slap strikers' effectiveness as well as the slap receivers' reaction and recovery time. Title bouts are five rounds and in the event of a draw, there will be an extra round to determine the winner of the bout.
Participants are separated by weight and gender.
Criticism and health risks Upon initial airing, Power Slap: Road to the Title created controversy concerning the health of the participants and the inherent danger of the show. Neuroscientist, chronic traumatic encephalopathy researcher, and former professional wrestler Christopher Nowinski observed one of the show's participants displaying the fencing response after being struck, indicating serious brain injury. Greek neurologist Nikolas Evangelou 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". Many combat sports athletes also responded negatively to the show. Boxer and WBC champion Ryan Garcia wrote "Power slap is a horrible idea and it needs to be stopped." UFC fighter Sean O'Malley stated that he refused to watch Power Slap: Road to the Title due to its association with brain injuries.
In response to the criticisms, 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." In an interview before the show aired, Dana 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 [criticism of slap fighting] 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."
On February 16, 2023, Bill Pascrell, a Congressman from New Jersey, and Don Bacon, a Congressman from Nebraska, announced that they were launching a Congressional inquiry into the ethicality of Power Slap. That same month, one of the world's leading experts on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Dr. Bennet Omalu, called for slap fighting shows to be removed from television. Omalu stated, in response to White's claims that he was making slap fighting as safe as possible, "It is a very dumb [sport], very stupid and unsafe. It is primitive. 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."
List of events Source: # Event Date Venue Location27Power Slap 27: Quinones vs. GodfreyNovember 19, 2026ABHA Arena Doha, Qatar26Power Slap 2625Power Slap 25: Da Hawaiian Hitman vs. Dumpling 2October 23, 2026Space42 Arena Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates24Power Slap 24: Muniz vs. HintzOctober 9, 2026The Chelsea Las Vegas, Nevada, United States23Power Slap 23: Wolverine vs. GreenhalghSeptember 17, 2026Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas, United States22Power Slap 22: Bathory vs. Montes July 30, 2026Belgrade Arena Belgrade, Serbia21Power Slap 21: Dempster vs. DuboisJuly 10, 2026The Chelsea Las Vegas, Nevada, United States20Power Slap 20: Trujillo vs. JohnsonMay 15, 2026The Chelsea Las Vegas, Nevada, United States19Power Slap 19: Da Hawaiian Hitman vs. ManuApril 17, 2026The Chelsea Las Vegas, Nevada, United States18Power Slap 18: Wolverine vs. Da Crazy HawaiianMarch 6, 2026Fontainebleau Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, United States17Power Slap 17: Blackburn vs. Young 2October 31, 2025 Mohammed Abdo Arena Riyadh, Saudi Arabia16Power Slap 16: Wolverine vs. KlingbeilOctober 24, 2025 Space42 Arena Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates15Power Slap 15: Bordeaux vs. Quinones 3October 3, 2025Fontainebleau Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, United States14Power Slap 14: The Bell vs. MenaJuly 18, 2025 XULA Convocation Center New Orleans, Louisiana, United States 13Power Slap 13: Dumpling vs. Da Hawaiian HitmanJune 27, 2025Fontainebleau Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 12Power Slap 12: Quinones vs. Bordeaux 2March 7, 2025Fontainebleau Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 11Power Slap 11: Da Crazy Hawaiian vs. Dumpling 2 anb Arena Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 10Power Slap 10: The Bell vs. PerezDecember 6, 2024Fontainebleau Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 9Power Slap 9: Da Crazy Hawaiian vs. Dumpling Space42 Arena Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 8Power Slap 8: Da Crazy Hawaiian vs. Van Heerden Fontainebleau Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 7 Power Slap 7: The Bell vs. Phillips UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 6 Power Slap 6: KO Chris vs. Muniz Durango Casino Spring Valley, Nevada, United States 5 Power Slap 5: Da Crazy Hawaiian vs. Vakameilalo UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 4 Power Slap 4: Hintz vs. Turpin UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 3 Power Slap 3: Hintz vs. Wolverine UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 2 Power Slap 2: Wolverine vs. The Bell UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 1 Power Slap 1: Darius the Destroyer vs. Wolverine UFC Apex Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Current champions DivisionUpper weight limitCurrent championSinceDefenses Super heavyweight 266+ lb (120+ kg) Dayne Viernes June 27, 2025 1 Heavyweight Damien Dibbell May 24, 2023 6 Light heavyweight Ron Bata July 7, 2023 6 Middleweight Isaih Quinones October 3, 2025 1 Welterweight Cole Young October 31, 2025 2 Lightweight Robert Trujillo March 8, 2025 2 Women's Featherweight Abby Montes July 30, 2026 0 Women's Flyweight Ellie Dempster July 10, 2026 0
Championship history Super Heavyweight Championship Weight limit: 266+lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 Koa “Da Crazy Hawaiian” Viernes Power Slap 5 October 25, 2023 2 Vasilii “Dumpling” KamotskiiPower Slap 11Jan 30, 20253 Dayne “Da Hawaiian Hitman” ViernesPower Slap 13 Jun 27, 2025 (incumbent)
Heavyweight Championship Weight limit: 265lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 Ron “Wolverine” Bata Power Slap 1 March 11, 2023 2 Damien “The Bell” Dibbell Power Slap 2 May 24, 2023 (incumbent)
Light Heavyweight Championship Weight limit: 205lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 Ayjay “Static” Hintz Power Slap 1 March 11, 2023 2 Ron “Wolverine” Bata Power Slap 3 July 7, 2023 (incumbent)
Middleweight Championship Weight limit: 185lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 John “The Machine” Davis Power Slap 1 March 11, 2023 2 Isaih “Puerto Rican Pretty Boy” QuinonesPower Slap 9October 24, 2024 3 Branden “The Butcher” BordeauxPower Slap 12March 7, 2025 4 Isaih “Puerto Rican Pretty Boy” QuinonesPower Slap 15October 3, 2025 (incumbent)
Welterweight Championship Weight limit: 170lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 Christapher “KO Chris” Thomas Power Slap 1 March 11, 2023 2 Emanuel “No Love” MunizPower Slap 6February 9, 20243 Anthony “Babyface” BlackburnPower Slap 8June 28, 2024 4 Cole “Full Send” YoungPower Slap 17October 31, 2025(incumbent)
Lightweight Championship Weight limit: 155lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 Robert “The Real Deal” Trujillo Power Slap 12 March 7, 2025 (incumbent)
Women's Featherweight Championship Weight limit: 145lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 Abby “Brave” Montes Power Slap 22 July 30, 2026 (incumbent)
Women's Flyweight Championship Weight limit: 125lb No.NameEventDateReignDefenses1 Ellie “Belly” Dempster Power Slap 21 July 10, 2026 (incumbent)
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