What is Power Slap Fighting? Full Power Slap Rules

What is Power Slap? What are the rules? How can you tell who's winning a match? All fair questions, given how fresh this sport is on the scene.

Power Slap is a relatively new sport that falls under the combat sports umbrella. Initially, it was popularized by videos that were mostly memed, but a lot of people actually liked the action.

All it had to do was find the target audience. Enter Dana White. UFC president, businessman and risk taker, Dana White loved what he saw and has pumped time, heart, money, resources and a bit of his own reputation into making Power Slap what it is now. And, it's only getting bigger.

That's just how it got to where it is now. But, what is it? We go over all of the rules here and help you get a better understanding on the art of slapping and how it's scored and sanctioned.

What is Power Slap Fighting?

With “Power Slap” as a title, it doesn't take a rocket science to figure out what this sport is about. This is a sport where people slap each other, and hard, to try and win by points or by knockout. Similar to MMA and boxing, Power Slap is scored using the ten point must system — the round winner gets ten points, the loser gets nine or less depending on how badly they were dominated.

Who Slaps First?

Slapping first and scoring the one-strike KO seems to be the ideal approach. So, how do we determine who goes first? We keep it old school, toss a coin.

How Many rounds are There in Power Slap? How Does One Win?

Similar to MMA, Power Slap is either three of five rounds. The methods of victory are KO, TKO or by decision,

Are There Weight Classes?

Yes, the weight classes for Power Slap reflect MMA weight classes.

What Does a Round in Power Slap Look Like?

Both competitors get one slap per round. Offense gets thirty seconds to slap after telling the referee on what swing they'll be making contact. The defensive party has thirty seconds to recover.

It's not as simply as just taking turns slapping the opponent. There needs to be a rest period to ensure safety, hence the thirty seconds to recover. While MMA may seem more dangerous due to the more diverse attack and ability to continue to attack a hurt opponent, the element of defense is pretty much not there in Power Slap.

Dana White is a smart cat, he wouldn't attach himself to something that isn't safe. So, to make sure the athletes can have some longevity to their careers and that they'll make it home safe after a match, the rules and regulations for Power Slap give some time in between slaps and limit the amount of damage taken each event.

As mentioned earlier, the art of defense is lost in Power Slap. Athletes can train their neck and chisel that jaw, but the fact of the matter is the jaw is the knockout button and it's laid out there on a silver platter.

Power Slap Rules: Fouls of Power Slap

There are quite a bit of fouls, most of which are just human instincts kicking in. The brain isn't programmed to be aware and see a slap coming and just let it happen. These athletes need to hardwire themselves to see the attack coming and just take it. Flinching, stepping, blocking and delay of game are fouls for the defensive party.

Now, for offense, there are also fouls. You'd imagine it would be hard to mess up getting a free shot on someone, but it's a possibility. Clubbing, punching, illegal wind up and delay of game are all fouls for the offensive party. It's on the athletes to let the ref know when they're going to swing and to keep the slap, you know, as much of a slap as possible.

Should a match go well and clean but both parties have chins that held up, then like MMA and boxing, we go to decision. Following the ten point must system, judges will determine who won by how well they slapped and how well they took the slaps on defense. Things like their stability, their recoverability and their reactions are taken into account when scoring. So, optics are a big thing in the scoring.

What is Power Slap and How to Get Familiarized to the Rules?

After explaining the rules, the best answer to “what is Power Slap?” is this: It's a sport that's growing at a great rate. It's not the most popular and it doesn't go without harsh criticism, but it's here and it's on a rapid rise. With events like Power Slap 5 offering action that's hard to not want to watch, this sport is only going to continue climbing.

So, it's best to get familiarized with it now as opposed to being left out of the loop. Might as well, right? So, how can you become privy to the rules and structure of the sport? Easy, watch it! Tonight, Power Slap 5 will be streamed live and free for the world to watch. The main event is one with title implications looming overhead, so on top of the most professional slaps you'll see, there's some reason to walk into this event with a bit of emotional investment due to the high stakes.