CNN
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UFC President Dana White gets into the slapping game.
The longtime UFC president announced a striking new competition called Power Slap during a press conference on Friday.
The new venture will pit men and women competitors from around the world against each other to showcase “power, technique and determination”.
The sport features two opponents facing each other exchanging unarmed blows one after the other until one wins the match.
Alongside the new series, which is slated to launch in early 2023, White announced a deal with TBS for an eight-episode television series. Friday’s press release says contestants will compete for a spot on “The Cast House” and Power Slap leaderboards.
“The sport of slap fighting is about to reach a whole new level,” White said at the Power Slap press conference at Radio City Music Hall.
“The production level will be through the roof…everything about this thing is going to the next level.”
White is collaborating with former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and TV producer Craig Piligian.
White added that the series was sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) — the first slap league to do so — with set rules, standings, weight classes and “extensive medical testing.”
“I’ve been working on it since 2017. I saw images of slap fights on social media and was immediately hooked. From the first day I saw it, I felt like it could to be big. I knew what it took to make it a real sport, just like we did with MMA,” White said.
Last month, White issued an appeal to all via social media telling fans, “If you’ve ever slapped yourself professionally, or think you can, email a video to our casting team.”
A coin toss will determine whether or not the winner wishes to slap or defend first. There will be a 30 second timer to deliver the slap and an additional 30 seconds for recovery. The minimum number of rounds for each competition will be three.
Victory will be determined by KO, TKO or points. Like boxing and MMA, Power Slap judging is based on a “10 point must system”, with a round winner scoring 10 points and the opponent scoring 9 or less.
According to the Power Slap website: “The judging criteria are based on the attacker’s effectiveness, as well as the defender’s reaction and recovery time.”
Attacking fouls include “bludgeoning, stepping, illegal winding up and delaying play”. The defender’s fouls include “jumping, blocking and delaying play”.
Warnings, point deduction, loss of strike, re-strike and disqualification can be pronounced if fouls are inflicted.
