Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Slap fighting safety subject of athletic commission meeting

UFC President Dana White attends the ceremonial weigh-in for the UFC mixed martial arts event on July 15, 2022, in Elmont, NY. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File) UFC President Dana White attends the ceremonial weigh-in for the UFC mixed martial arts event on July 15, 2022, in Elmont, NY. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
Share
LAS VEGAS -

The Nevada Athletic Commission is scheduled Wednesday to discuss potential rules changes for slap fighting competitions, including those backed by the UFC, the top mixed martials arts promotion in the United States.

The commission in October unanimously approved sanctioning slap fighting, in which competitors take turns forcefully slapping each other in the face. The commission, which regulates boxing and other combat sports in the state, asserted the approval was given to prevent unregulated matches and so competitors had safety precautions in place.

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 will discuss approving upcoming Power Slap events 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.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Two and a half years after losing her best friend and first love to suicide, Brooke Ford shared her story of grief and resilience at the CMHA Windsor-Essex Suicide Awareness Walk.

opinion

opinion How to make the most out of your TFSA

The Tax-Free Savings Account can be a powerful savings tool and investment vehicle. Financial contributor Christopher Liew explains how they work and how to take full advantage of them so you can reach your financial goals faster.

British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them.

An Ottawa driver has been charged with stunt driving after being caught going 154 km/h on Highway 417, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Local Spotlight

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

Stay Connected