LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Athletic Commission attempted Wednesday to address what constitutes a legal slap in slap fighting. Slap fighting is a new sport where opponents take turns striking each other in the face.
Power Slap League competitors must deliver only open-handed blows and must not hit opponents below the chin, according to amended rules approved by the commission.
The commission originally voted in October to sanction slap fighting to prevent unregulated matches and ensure competitors are safe. Commissioners, however, were concerned the rules weren't specific enough.
In November, the commission approved UFC President Dana White's license to promote the Power Slap League. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell assured the commission that safety was the highest priority.
White promoted the TBS show “Power Slap: Road to the Title” in an interview with Front Office Sports last week. The first four episodes averaged 275,000 viewers.
However, many competitors exhibited apparent concussion-like symptoms, raising safety concerns about the competition.
White acknowledged in the interview with Front Office Sports that a video of him and his wife slapping each other in a scuffle on New Year’s Eve at a Mexican nightclub didn’t help in his efforts to promote the new sport. He called the timing “ironic and horrible at the same time.”
White also has publicly apologized for slapping his wife.
The commission also discussed approving upcoming Power Slap events on March 9 and 11 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The UFC Apex plans to install a 1,000-seat arena, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
