Dana White’s ‘Power Slap’ premiere delayed for now by TBS after UFC boss slapped wife
- American TV network sticks with White’s slap-fighting league in the wake of domestic violence incident with his wife on New Year’s Eve
- TBS confirms it had ‘serious discussions’ about pulling the plug on UFC-backed entity but no final decision has been made
American television network TBS is sticking with Dana White’s slap-fighting league in the wake of a domestic violence incident with his wife on New Year’s Eve – at least for now.
Power Slap, the UFC-backed entity partially owned by the UFC president, was set to premiere next Wednesday, January 11 on TBS. However, the debut is being pushed back a week to January 18, a UFC official told broadcast partner ESPN.
The New York Post reported that TBS has had “serious discussions” about pulling the plug, which TBS spokesperson Jori Arancio confirmed to the newspaper. No final decision has been made.
Speculation about the status of Power Slap on TBS began on Thursday when people noticed it was no longer listed on the programming schedule in the 10pm time slot it originally occupied on January 11. Power Slap was also missing from the January 18 schedule.
Power Slap and TBS reached a broadcasting agreement for eight 1-hour episodes, which White announced in November. While no official announcement has been made, reporter Jeremy Botter revealed earlier on Thursday on Twitter that a Warner Media source said “basically just paperwork” needed to be finalised to end the deal.
Back in October, the Nevada Athletic Commission voted to regulate slap fighting – in which defenceless competitors strike each other with open-hand slaps from across a podium – at the urging of UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell during a monthly meeting.
Slap fighting has been around for years, though it has been more prevalent in Eastern Europe. In November, White attempted to quell concerns about brain injuries while touting Power Slap’s potential to catch on in the US.
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“A lot of these questions that you guys have, the media, fans, potential fans have, will be answered in this eight-part series that we’re doing,” he said.
“These guys who have been doing it for a long time, there actually is technique to it. You can actually roll with the slap. They know how to actually defend, brace, whatever you want to call it. There’s actually technique to this thing – believe it or not.”
He continued, “Look at the numbers this stuff pulls. It’s perfect for social media. You couldn’t have a more perfect product for social media. We believe it will be strong on television, too.”
