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.[1] Contestants on the show slapped each other in the face to win the "Power Slap League" tournament. The show's first season consisted of 8 pre-recorded episodes and was followed by the Power Slap 1 live event that aired exclusively on Rumble.[2]
The show was executive produced by Power Slap's owner Dana White.[3] 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.[2]
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 Dynamite's near 800,000 viewers.[4] 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.[5][6][7][8] After Road to the Title's 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 knock out 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.[9] 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.[9][10]
Criticism and health risks
Upon initial airing, Power Slap: Road to the Title created controversy[9] concerning the health of the participants and the inherent danger of the show.[11] 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.[2] 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".[9] Many combat sports athletes also responded negatively to the show. Boxer and WBC championRyan Garcia wrote "Power slap is a horrible idea and it needs to be stopped."[12] UFC fighter Sean O'Malley stated that he refused to watch Power Slap: Road to the Title due to its association with brain injuries.[13]
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."[9] 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."[14]
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.[15] 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."[16]
1. def. Danie “The Pitbull” Van Heerden at Power Slap 8 on Jun 28, 2024 2. drew with Vasilii “Dumpling” Kamotskii at Power Slap 9 on Oct 24, 2024
2
Vasilii “Dumpling” Kamotskii
Power Slap 11 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Jan 30, 2025
148 days
3
Dayne “Da Hawaiian Hitman” Viernes
Power Slap 13 Las Vegas, Nevada
Jun 27, 2025
70 days (incumbent)
Heavyweight Championship
Weight limit: 265lb
No.
Name
Event
Date
Reign
Defenses
1
Ron “Wolverine” Bata def. Darius “The Destroyer” Mata-Varona
Power Slap 1 Las Vegas, Nevada
March 11, 2023
74 days
2
Damien “The Bell” Dibbell
Power Slap 2 Las Vegas, Nevada
May 24, 2023
835 days (incumbent)
1. def. Nate “The Buffalo Soldier” Burnard at Power Slap 5 on Oct 25, 2023 2. def. Ryan “The King of Kings” Phillips at Power Slap 7 on April 12, 2024 3. def. Dorian “Disturbing The Peace” Perez at Power Slap 10 on Dec 6, 2024 4. def. Wes “Boom” Mena at Power Slap 14 on July 18, 2025
Light Heavyweight Championship
Weight limit: 205lb
No.
Name
Event
Date
Reign
Defenses
1
Ayjay “Static” Hintz def. Vernon “The Mechanic” Cathey
Power Slap 1 Las Vegas, Nevada
March 11, 2023
118 days
1. def. Russel “Kainoa” Rivero at Power Slap 2 on May 24, 2023
2
Ron “Wolverine” Bata
Power Slap 3 Las Vegas, Nevada
July 7, 2023
791 days (incumbent)
1. def. Austin “Turp Daddy Slim” Turpin at Power Slap 5 on Oct 25, 2023 2. def. Vernon “The Mechanic” Cathey at Power Slap 11 on Jan 30, 2025 3. def. Russel “Kainoa” Rivero at Power Slap 13 on Jun 27, 2025
Middleweight Championship
Weight limit: 185lb
No.
Name
Event
Date
Reign
Defenses
1
John “The Machine” Davis def. Azael “El Perro” Rodriguez
Power Slap 1 Las Vegas, Nevada
March 11, 2023
593 days
1. def. Wesley “All the Smoke” Drain at Power Slap 2 on May 24, 2023 2. def. Azael “El Perro” Rodriguez at Power Slap 5 on Oct 25, 2023
2
Isaih “Puerto Rican Pretty Boy” Quinones
Power Slap 9 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
October 24, 2024
134 days
1. def. Branden “The Butcher” Bordeaux at Power Slap 10 on Dec 6, 2024
3
Branden “The Butcher” Bordeaux
Power Slap 12 Las Vegas, Nevada
March 7, 2025
182 days (incumbent)
Welterweight Championship
Weight limit: 170lb
No.
Name
Event
Date
Reign
Defenses
1
Christapher “KO Chris” Thomas def. Jesus Gaspar Diaz
Power Slap 1 Las Vegas, Nevada
March 11, 2023
335 days
2
Emanuel “No Love” Muniz
Power Slap 6 Spring Valley, Nevada
February 9, 2024
140 days
3
Anthony “Babyface” Blackburn
Power Slap 8 Las Vegas, Nevada
June 28, 2024
434 days (incumbent)
1. def. Emanuel “No Love” Muniz at Power Slap 10 on Dec 6, 2024 (Note: Muniz missed weight) 2. def. Azael “El Perro” Rodriguez at Power Slap 13 on Jun 27, 2025
Lightweight Championship
Weight limit: 155lb
No.
Name
Event
Date
Reign
Defenses
1
Robert “The Real Deal” Trujillo def. Dakota “The Maritime Menace” Mcgregor
Power Slap 12 Las Vegas, Nevada
March 7, 2025
182 days (incumbent)
1. def. Dakota “The Maritime Menace” McGregor at Power Slap 14 on July 18, 2025
