UFC kingpin Dana White has been asked make sure "no-one dies" ahead of the launch of his new slap fighting league.
White, who has made a huge success of building the UFC brand, is spearheading Power Slap League which he claims will be the premier slap fighting competition. He will work alongside UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, and the pair have received the green light with the competition set to be licensed by the Nevada Athletic State Commission (NAC).
Slap fighting is an extremely brutal sport with fighters unable to defend themselves from the blows, which has raised concern with medical professionals. And during a briefing with the NAC, Campbell was encouraged to take questions on behalf of White who intends to push forward with the launch.
NAC Chairman Stephen Cloobeck asked Campbell: “You will make sure no one dies?” To which the UFC business officer responded: “That is priority one-to-ten. That goes without saying. Honestly, one of the reasons we tested this was to really understand first-hand the health and safety aspect of the sport. We have a high level of comfort following that, working extensively with the commission, to make sure that we believe that safely.”
Cloobeck then continued his probing questions, quickly adding: “You will make sure that no one has severe brain injuries going forward?” Campbell then responded: “That’s correct. That’s the other reason working with you and executive director [Jeff] Mullen, chairman. We put the health and safety requirements in place that are above and beyond basically what any other commission in the country would require.”
Slap fighting was previously unregulated which has been a central reason why White and his team have sought licensing from the NAC, as they look to orchestrate a new set of rules for the competition. This will include scoring via the ten-point must system used in boxing and MMA, in addition to the instalment of weight classes and new regulations for areas of the face that can be slapped.
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It is expected the first event will be aired in January providing there are no further complications, with fouls and financial penalties imposed for fighters who do not obey the rules. Campbell insisted he and White saw huge potential in the sport and want it to be done in a controlled manner.
"After testing it, it became clear to us that there's massive potential here as a sport, not unlike the early years of the UFC," Campbell told ESPN. "It made all the sense in the world to go toward regulation before the sport's commencing, for all the obvious reasons -- No. 1, the health and safety of the competitors. Everything will be structured and designed to provide a level of integrity to the sport and provide a system that's safe moving forward."
