The league creation of Power Slap, where people willingly slap one another in hopes of not being concussed so they can do the same, became a reality in 2023. Zuffa’s cache with networks gave it the ability to put this debacle on the air with the hopes (no one admits out loud) that it would follow the success of The Ultimate Fighter.
Zuffa called in favors from every fighter and celebrity it knew to post on social media how awesome Power Slap is and what a new and innovative sport it would be. Zuffa advertised the sport as being more that people slapping one another. They showed slappers training at the UFC Performance Institute, they showed analytics of slaps and even talked about the gambling lines. Zuffa even sponsored a NASCAR with Power Slap on the side.
Power Slap was an unmitigated flop. It drew 295,000 viewers in its first episode. The second episode produced the highest rating of the season of 413,000 viewers. And while Dana White still touts Power Slap, the one season on TBS was enough for everyone. The second season moved to Abu Dhabi. Thoughts of a PPV in March to end the season were quickly changed to a free airing on Rumble (a conservative-leaning online platform). This is not to mention TBS delaying the show a week due to Dana White’s video of him slapping his wife. More on this later.
Dana White will not let Power Slap die. He has used the UFC platform to cross-promote this and now has it regulated in the state of California. White has praised the social media backing of Power Slap telling anyone that will listen that Power Slap is taking it off. Even though the sport seems like it could have immediate medical ramifications, no one has attempted to stop this sport from continuing. This is more about White’s previous success with the UFC than anything. The sport is not really a sport and its clear from the lack of success on traditional cable that it has moved to an online platform.
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