‘Can you script it any worse?’ – MMA journalist Ariel Helwani calls for Dana White’s Power Slap League to be scrapped following video of UFC boss hitting his wife
Dana White’s Power Slap League could be axed before its first event which is set to take place on January 11.
The Power Slap League, which is being overseen by the UFC president, will see competitors hitting one another in the face with an open hand.
It will be regulated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission [NSAC], with fighters to be given 30 seconds to deliver the slap, with another 30 seconds for recovery.
However, its future remains in the balance due to the actions of White.
The UFC boss was caught on camera hitting his wife at a nightclub in Mexico at a New Year’s Eve party after the couple had a heated exchange that became physical.
Video obtained by showed White grabbing his wife Anne’s arm before she aimed a slap at him and he retaliated by slapping her twice prior to onlookers stepping in to separate the pair.
White has apologised for his actions but is facing widespread condemnation and some people are calling for him to step down from his leading role at the UFC.
The incident puts White’s already-controversial Power Slap League on the brink of collapse just days before its first event following what is best described as a PR nightmare.
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Helwani said on : "Shame on TBS if they're going to air that Slap Fighting League.
“Can you script it any worse? Shame on TBS that’s what you’re going to do. Shame on TBS if you’re going to air a Slap Fighting League and shame on anyone who picks it up afterwards.”
The MMA journalist, who has not been on good terms with White for years, hit out at anyone covering Power Slap League after the UFC boss went viral for all the wrong reasons.
“After that, really? Shame on anyone who's covering that. Honestly, shame on all of you. Shame on Nevada for sanctioning that,” Helwani added.
“The Nevada that doesn't sanction [Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship] they sanction that? You're kidding me?
“Shame on the fighters taking part in it, shame on all of them."
As of right now, no official comment has been made about the future of the Power Slap League or White as leader of it and the UFC whose parent company, Endeavour, has suffered a fall in share prices since the incident.