From: officialflagrant
Power Slap, a combat sport featuring competitive striking, has seen a rapid and significant rise in popularity since its inception. In just 15 months, the sport has grown into a $750 million business that dominates social media with billions of views globally [00:30:05].
Origin and Concept
The concept for Power Slap was discovered by Dana White in 2018 while scrolling through Instagram [00:30:50]. He encountered videos originating from Russia and Poland, which appeared to be filmed on rudimentary equipment, showing people slapping each other over a barrel [00:31:01]. Despite the low production quality, one such video had accumulated 350 million views on YouTube, comparable to a Justin Bieber video at the time [00:31:07]. This observation sparked White’s vision: to formalize this activity into an actual sanctioned sport with high production value [00:31:16]. Unlike the UFC, whose acquisition was a unique opportunity, Power Slap’s intellectual property was created from scratch, building upon existing lower-level leagues in Poland and Russia [00:32:28]. Dana White owns Power Slap with the Fertita brothers [01:37:18].
Initial Reception and Challenges
The initial perception of Power Slap was often dismissive [00:33:10]. However, Dana White asserts that the UFC faced even worse public and media reception in its early days, often deemed “gross” and “disgusting” [00:34:31]. He loves negativity and uses it as extra motivation to prove skeptics wrong [01:44:38].
Growth and Metrics
In just 15 months, Power Slap has achieved remarkable digital growth:
- More YouTube subscribers than NHL, MLS, NASCAR, PGA, and Barstool Sports [01:13:30].
- Over a billion YouTube views [01:41:40].
- Eight of the top 12 largest YouTube shorts against other major sports are Power Slap related [01:43:43].
- Four of the top five largest YouTube shorts on the UFC’s own channel are Power Slap, even outperforming content featuring major stars like Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and Brock Lesnar [01:46:48].
- More followers than every professional sports team in just 15 months [00:32:04].
- Power Slap’s reality show has accumulated 40 million views online [01:34:46].
- It has more views than any Taylor Swift video ever posted [00:34:01].
Financial Success
Power Slap is already a $750 million business [00:30:09]. The sport currently has 27 sponsors [01:32:26]. With the introduction of real money into the sport, participants are taking it seriously, leading to athletes buying houses, cars, and boats [01:32:20].
Global Reach and Accessibility
Power Slap has a massive presence in India, Southeast Asia, China, and Brazil (where knockoff leagues already exist) [01:30:56]. The sport’s simplicity is a key factor in its global appeal:
- “Everybody knows what’s slapping someone in the face. It is the 100-meter dash of fight sports.” [01:31:37]
- Its clips are “fun, snackable content” [01:31:49].
- It taps into a universal understanding of being slapped or slapping someone [01:31:42].
- This contrasts with mixed martial arts, where some viewers might still be confused about ground fighting [01:31:33].
Future Prospects and Evolution
Dana White sees the sport as being in its early stages, akin to the early days of the UFC [01:34:39]. Training for Power Slap is expected to evolve, with fighters focusing on strengthening their necks, shoulders, and traps to absorb impact [01:34:49]. Athletes from other sports, such as college football players who don’t make it to the pros, are expected to be drawn to Power Slap for its financial opportunities [01:33:09]. The sport will also see the development of dedicated training camps, similar to how MMA gyms emerged from disparate martial arts disciplines [01:33:55]. Dana White is actively building new businesses like Power Slap because he enjoys taking niche sports that people believe won’t succeed and making them work [01:38:04].