UFC president Dana White is getting into the slap game.
The longtime president of the UFC announced a new striking competition called Power Slap during a press conference on Friday.
The new venture will pit men and women competitors from around the world to showcase “power, technique and resolve.”
The sport features two opponents facing each other exchanging open-handed hits to the face one after another until one wins the match.
Alongside the new series, which is set to launch in early 2023, White announced a deal with TBS for an eight-part television series. Friday’s press release states competitors will vie to earn a place in “the cast house” and Power Slap rankings.
“The sport of slap fighting is about to go to 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 television producer Craig Piligian.
White added the series has been sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) – the first slap league to do so – with defined rules, rankings, weight classes and “extensive medical testing.”
“I’ve been working on this since 2017. I saw some footage of slap fighting on social media and I was instantly hooked. From the first day I saw it, I felt like this could be big. I knew what needed to be done to make it a real sport just like we did with MMA,” said White.
Last month, White put out an all-call via social media telling fans: “If you have ever professionally slapped, or think you can, email a video to our casting team.”
A coin toss will determine the option of whether or not the winner would like to slap or defend first. There will be a 30 second clock to deliver the slap, and another 30 seconds for recovery. The minimum number of rounds for each competition will be three.
Victory will be determined via knockout, TKO, or by 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 fewer.
According to the Power Slap website: “judging criteria is based on the striker’s effectiveness, as well as the defender’s reaction and recovery time.”
Striker fouls include “clubbing, stepping, illegal wind-up and delay of game.” Defender fouls include “flinching, blocking and delay of game.”
Warnings, point deduction, loss of strike, re-strike and disqualification can be adjudged if fouls are assessed.