Slap fighting is ‘barbaric'... and built for social media

Telegraph

18-05-2025

In a crowded field, the most disturbing thing about slap fighting is how difficult it is to look away from. Showing videos to friends and colleagues over the past few weeks has led to two clear responses. The first is cerebral, with tutting and grimacing at the defenceless full-pelt whacks to the face. The other is more instinctive and presents as a compulsion to keep watching.
That second quality explains the format's popularity online, particularly in America. The Power Slap company (owned by UFC CEO Dana White) has more than three million subscribers on YouTube and has held live events in Las Vegas, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Progress has been slower in the UK although on Saturday the country's first slap fighting company BritSlap hosted its fifth SlapFight event in Liverpool.
The previous event, SlapFight 4, was the first open to the public, with previous editions invite-only to ensure the rules and precautions were understood and followed. There, heavyweight champion Louis 'Razor' Robinson knocked out Dom 'the Juggernaut' Sorby. Organisers were expecting a couple of hundred to show for SlapFight 5 at Boxpark with its main event of heavyweight champion Robinson defending his belt against challenger Dan 'One Shot' Mitchell.
They compete over a maximum of eight rounds in which fighters take forceful flat-handed blows to the side of their faces. Winners are decided by knockout, points or stoppage. Hands must remain flat and land on the opponent's cheek. Feet should stay planted a shoulder width apart, with heels no more than two inches off the ground. Crucially, if you are receiving a slap, flinching is not allowed. In fact there is no defensive element whatsoever. Of course, some are concerned about this, especially after the death of Polish slap fighter Artur Walczak in 2021, who suffered a brain bleed after a match in which he had been knocked out.
White's Power Slap franchise distracts from the danger with medium-budget bells and whistles. It is lit like UFC with multiple cameras and slappers doing battle over a plinth sponsored by the energy drink Monster. The British version is more homespun for now with no bespoke plinth, just a black barrel. But Josh Skeete, CEO of Britslap, sees a big future.
'I'm a fan of boxing and MMA but a lot of people don't like the grappling aspect, they find it boring,' he says. 'In slap fighting there's none of that and that's a good selling point for it. It's just non-stop entertainment and action.
'Everyone who's come has absolutely loved it because it's new, it's fresh. It's something completely different to what any combat sports fan might have seen previously.'
Watching fights from SlapFight 4 it is tough to make the case for it as a better spectacle than any other combat sport. Perhaps judo, at a push. But cut down to TikTok size, with an emphasis on the macabre spectacle of temporarily rearranged faces, it is grimly compelling. This is the format in which any new sport needs to shine.
Wolverine defended his belt in DOMINANT fashion at #PowerSlap11 🤯
He returns looking for his THIRD-STRAIGHT title defense at #PowerSlap13
[ $VET Power Slap 13 | Fri June 27th | Live on YouTube | Tickets at Link in Bio 🎟️ ] pic.twitter.com/LW4fdgK71w
— Power Slap (@powerslap) May 15, 2025
No one will be calling slap fighting 'the sweet science' any time soon, although Skeete sounds slightly affronted when I suggest that his product has some presentational similarities with WWE. 'Our announcer is also a pro wrestling announcer. But it's very real. When you come and watch a live event, there's nothing like it. The atmosphere is absolutely electric. It's like boxing, darts and football rolled into one.'
Skeete has a black belt in taekwondo and his fighters come from various MMA, boxing or bare-knuckle backgrounds. That has not done much for the competition's legitimacy. It is not recognised by NAKMAS, this country's independent national governing body for traditional and modern martial arts. 'We took a decision not to regulate it within our national governing body,' says its chief executive Reverend Joe Ellis. 'From a personal viewpoint, I find slap fighting to be nothing related to martial arts or even a sport of repute.'
There were no great protests before this Liverpool event but a SlapFight event at the University of Glasgow was cancelled at short notice in February. 'Everything was going smoothly, but less than 24 hours before we had a call telling us the event was cancelled and there was nothing they could do,' says Skeete. 'It was quite vague, we were told investors had got involved and professors from the university weren't happy with the event taking place even though we had the green light from the venue.
'They were happy with everything we put in place with safety and insurance but all of a sudden it was pulled away from us.'
There is no independent regulator for slap fighting in the UK but Skeete has enforced the same rules followed by more established US competitions. Two medics, two first aiders and a response vehicle were on site on Saturday. 'There's strict rules and regulations, weight divisions and medics on site with experience in combat sports. We have everything in place that we should have, safety is the most important thing for us. Any combat sport or contact sport comes with a danger, of course.
'I don't want anybody to get severely damaged but all fighters understand the risks of combat sports. They want to be there, they want to compete.'
Visible signs of concussion
That may be true but will do little to placate those concerned about the impact of defenceless blows to the head. A University of Pittsburgh study into slap fighting last year found that more than half of participants showed visible signs of concussion. As a comparison, one five-year study of 66 boxers in Great Britain reported only five cases of inter-match concussion.
Dr Raj Lavadi was lead author of the Pittsburgh study, watching 78 fights with his team and observed the tell-tale signs of concussion: decreased motor skills, blank or vacant stares and slowness in getting up. 'When you've removed the defensive element the end result is only going to be a visible sign of concussion or serious injury,' he says. 'Any chances of making this safe remove completely from the entertainment aspect. It's really tough to ban any sport, we can only raise awareness.'
Dr Lavadi is especially concerned about subsequent impacts after fighters have already suffered a concussive blow. 'There's a return-to-play protocol established for professional sports. The return to play that these combatants are demonstrating is sub-human. After sustaining a slap they have more often than not, less than one minute to return back to their fighter box before having to get slapped again. It's almost unheard of in any sport.'
Dr Nitin Agarwal, who has a background in taekwondo, krav maga and jiu-jitsu, was senior author of the paper. 'In martial arts the main goal is self defence. In this there is none, you get penalised for having defence. I think it's barbaric. I am just astonished that we would promote such a thing and I just don't think it's reflective of a martial art event.'
That entertainment value certainly exists, although it is fleeting. Fatigue sets in, followed by boredom after watching a few videos, the novelty eroding with each slap. Perhaps it is better to look away. A viewer's cheap thrill could be very expensive for a participant.