Fontainebleau Las Vegas has announced a partnership with Power Slap in which the Strip casino will become “the official home of Power Slap.”
The combat league’s residency will span five live televised events, starting with Power Slap 10 on December 6, 2024.
Key Highlights
- The events will be televised starting with Power Slap 10 on December 6
- Competitors must stand still without any defense while being slapped
- Matches go 10 rounds or until someone is knocked out
- A study found signs of concussion in the vast majority of matches
Power Slap 10 Kicks Off Residency at Fontainebleau in December
“It was a no-brainer to team up on a long-term partnership to allow more fans to come and experience the energy and excitement of a live Power Slap event, as well as the incredible hospitality, gaming, and dining experiences at Fontainebleau Las Vegas,” Power Slap President Frank Lamicella said in a press release.
Tickets go on sale October 24, the same day as Power Slap 9, which is being held in Abu Dhabi.
Brutality on Display: No Defense in Power Slap Showdowns
Power Slap, as the name may imply, is a combat sport akin to mixed martial arts and boxing. In fact, it was co-founded and owned by UFC President Dana White.
It is a simplistic yet brutal sport in which two competitors stand face-to-face and take turns slapping each other in the face with an open palm as hard as they can. Matches last for a maximum of 10 rounds.
This is not a sport… It’s seeing how many times somebody can run into a brick wall.
Dr. Gregory O’Shanick, Medical Director at the Brain Injury Association of America
The person being slapped called the defender, must stand square to their opponent (the striker) with their hands behind their back. The defender must keep their head up and cannot move. Thus, the name “defender” is a bit of a misnomer, as the competitor cannot defend themselves whatsoever.
After the slap, the defender has 60 seconds to return to their spot (the defender box) and “establish their fitness to continue to the referee and be declared by the referee to be ‘Recovered’.”
If the defender is knocked down, they must stand up within ten seconds to continue, similar to boxing.
Should the match go 10 rounds without a knockout or technical knockout, the winner is determined by the judges’ scoring.
According to the official rules of Power Slap, points are determined based on “(1) damage and effectiveness of the Striker and (2) reaction and recovery of the Defender.”
Doctors Sound the Alarm on Power Slap’s Potential Dangers
Though every state in the US has approved and regulated Power Slap, it is arguably the most controversial sport in the country because of its brand of pure violence.
“This is not a sport, OK? This is an event,” Dr. Gregory O’Shanick, medical director at the Brain Injury Association of America, told The New York Times in July.
“A sport is a contest of athleticism or skill. This is merely your physiological ability to withstand blunt-force trauma to the head. It’s like seeing how many times somebody can run into a brick wall.”
Though there are plenty of sports that involve or revolve around physical violence, Dr. O’Shanick says Power Slap is different because, as was noted earlier, competitors are not permitted to defend themselves nor wear protective gear other than a mouthguard and inner ear protectors.
“There will be deaths from this,” Dr. O’Shanick said. “There is no doubt. There will be deaths.”
Nearly 40% of sequences (slap exchanges) resulted in signs of poor motor coordination.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine watched videos of slap-fighting competitions and analyzed 333 slaps to observe the physical effects of such powerful slaps.
In the study published just this month, researchers determined that almost 80% of fighters had visible signs of concussion at some point during the match.
“By the end of their matches, nearly 40% of sequences resulted in signs of poor motor coordination, about a third of the sequences resulted in participants having a blank and vacant look, and a quarter of the sequences featured participants who were slow to get up after being brought down by a blow,” the report’s summary said.
Senior author Nitin Agarwal, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh, added, “As a physician who has a background in martial arts and is passionate about combat sports, I remain concerned regarding the frequency of overt signs of concussion among slap fighters.”
Sources
https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/power-slap-residency-coming-to-strip-casino-3175344/
https://www.powerslap.com/rules/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/07/style/power-slap-fights.html
https://upmc-press-release-distribution.newsweaver.com/jy0g2lveeh/robfkgs5u831ovnogxz1ob
