Medical Experts Raise Red Flags Over Dana White's Power Slap

A recent study shows 78.6% of Power Slap participants showed signs of concussion.

Power Slap

Dana White's Power Slap has quickly become one of the most contentious UFC-related products in recent memory.

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Debuting in January 2023, the slap-fighting tournament has been dubbed human cockfighting, and now medical experts are expressing their concern with the sport.

The Study

University of Pittsburgh Neurosurgeon Dr. Nitin Agarwal and postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Raj Swaroop Lavadi recently published a study in JAMA Surgery, documenting concussion signs in Power Slap participants. 78 Power Slap fights were analyzed from season one, comprising 333 slaps in 139 sequences among 56 participants.

Four reviewers took part in the process, and agreement between reviewers was needed to ensure the validity of concussion signs. This is referred to as 'interrater reliability' in the study, which is "the degree of agreement between different people observing or assessing the same thing" (Scribblr).

The study found that 44 (78.6%) Power Slap fighters showed at least one sign of concussion. 20 of the 56 fighters showed signs of second impact (second trauma before recovering from the first). Fighters who showed a visible sign lost 54 of 72 times. View the signs by slap count below:

Concussion Sign	Sum of Slaps	Interrater Reliability
Any visible sign of concussion	97	0.71
Unsteadiness in re-achieving standing base (i.e. clumsiness, "rubbery legs"); uses table to regain balance	68	0.78
Absence of facial expression or reactionless to environment	48	0.74
Latency to return to standing position; >4 count	34	0.78
Second impact	25	0.65
Suspension of the match by the referee after a knockout has been observed	15	0.82
Bruising to the face; bleeding from face, nose, or ears	11	0.44
Tonic posturing observed in any or all of the limbs	11	0.75
Reaching for the face	3	0.39
Incomplete/complete unawareness of preceding or succeeding events in relation to the match	3	0.7
Defender vomits after strike	0	0

"The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that slap fighting may induce traumatic brain injury in contestants, with potential for long-term consequences.

"The risk is further augmented given that the contestants must stand defenseless, allowing their opponents to achieve complete and precise contact with their heads during each offensive blow."

Issues With the Methodology

The study acknowledges a few core issues with the findings. First, the small sample size, and second, the fact that it's a video analysis could be considered a subjective assessment. A larger study, preferably with on-site analysis or medical records, would better support the findings.

Concerns Raised About Slap-Fighting in Younger Generations

Slap-fighting isn't an 'adults-only' activity, according to Dr. Lavadi, who points to the popular kids' game Roblox facilitating a slap-fighting game mode with 5 million members, as well as children participating in slap-fighting in schools as a 'game'.

MMA KO touch on whether slap fighters are making informed decisions in 'Dana White Responds to Critics of Brain-Damaging Power Slap.'

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