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Blood poured from Makini Manu’s nose, and tears streamed down his cheeks, after Danie ‘Pitbull’ van Heerden slapped ‘Big Mak’s’ face, and seemed to scrape his eye after.
Though there were a number of routine and non-eventful slap fights previously, at the Power Slap 6 show which took place February 9 from the Durango Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, that image may be one of the defining ones of the night.
That was, until, the co-main event between women’s lightweight slap fighters Sheena Bathory — one of the faces of this promotion — and Jackie Cataline.
In Bathory’s last bout, she slapped Christine Wolmarans so hard that her head bounced off the podium on her way to the ground.
So much was expected of Bathory on Friday and whether she could score another concussive finish.
Cataline stepped up to strike first and gave Bathory no chance to respond as she slapped her to the floor with such violence that it gave the big name fighter no chance to even strike. She was down, and stayed there for an uncomfortable amount of time as she was hurt so bad.
Watch that slap right here:
If you don’t know what Power Slap is, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
Two competitors take it in turns exchanging slaps until one of them falls.
The rules are simple, you can’t defend the slap, and you can’t flinch.
Power Slap calls itself the premier version of slap fighting, and launched in November, 2022, by UFC boss Dana White, the former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, and in partnership with Hollywood talent agency Endeavor. Frank Lamicella is the company president.
Friday’s event marked a new chapter for the company as, for the first time, it ventured outside of the UFC Apex facility and into the swaggy, off-strip Durango Casino — in front of a combination of a ticket-buying audience, influencers, and notable celebrities like Tom Brady, Johnny Manziel, Travis Scott, Pat McAfee, and Charles Barkley.
Scott appeared to enjoy the show. Barkley couldn’t stop smiling.
Emanuel Muniz Won The Main Event
In the main event, Emanuel ‘No Love’ Muniz exchanged blows with Christapher ‘KO Chris’ Thomas.
As the Power Slap title was on the line, this one was scheduled for five rounds and, in the opening rounds, neither fighter could get the other one out of there.
But Muniz continued to chip away, and cause more damage with his strikes, until he scored the finish with his very last slap.
“He can bring a bat up there,” Muniz told Heavy and other reporters at the post-event press conference.
“I can take those blows as best I can, then deliver the perfect slap.”
He added: “I’ve got the best chin in the sport and will win the war of attrition every single time.”
Dana White Beamed Over Power Slap Metrics
Power Slap is a unique promotion in that, it feels like the most brutal combat sports promotion when watching it on TV.
The live experience is so much different, though, as celebrities laugh, people drink, and a lot of people are having a good time and just want to see a knockout.
For White, the night was a success.
“It was a big night for us,” he told Heavy and other reporters backstage.
“We were over 2 million views [on Rumble]. We’re on ESPN for a [UFC] Fight Night and pull anywhere from 750,000 to 1 million viewers, sometimes if we knock it out the park it’s 1.5 million. We’re over 2 million views tonight, live.
“And that doesn’t even include the power we had tonight on social media, it’s massive.”
He added that the gate was $300,000 on an exclusive VIP package ticket sale.
Considering the growth of these numbers, from the gate to the viewer numbers, the promotion isn’t going anywhere.
Power Slap 7 takes place Friday, April 12 on Rumble.
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