A new combat sport is gaining some momentum. Naturally, betting on it appears to be expanding.
Mixed martial arts rose to popularity in the early 1990s when an upstart promotion titled the Ultimate Fighting Championship sought to find out which fighting style would stand superior when put to the test. Thirty years later, the UFC is the world’s premier destination for MMA.
Now, the UFC looks to expand its territory in combat sports outside of the famous octagon.
UFC President Dana White is attempting to build up the sport of slap fighting (also known as slap boxing) on U.S. soil with a fledgling project called the Power Slap League.
The sport received a major shot in the arm when former UFC fighter Paige VanZant made her slap fighting debut at an event called Power Slap 8 in June 2024. VanZant, who also competed in bare-knuckle boxing, won her debut.
Paige VanZant shook off some slaps and rocked her opponent en route to a unanimous decision victory in her Power Slap debut ? #PowerSlap8 pic.twitter.com/S4igDR3xWR
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 29, 2024
How Power Slap Works
The sport is basically as simple as it sounds.
Two competitors stand across from each other and take turns trying to knock each other out with open-hand strikes. It’s a controversial sport for some observers due to the defenseless head blows, but the concept has gained traction. The sport’s proponents argue that athletes take less head trauma than in traditional boxing with gloves.
The 2023 debut of the PSL featured pre-recorded matches, so no moneyline betting was available for the inaugural season. However, viewers can expect gambling odds and lines in the future.
For now, the best way to wager on Power Slap is through DFS betting on Underdog Fantasy.
Bettors might want to know whether the sport can be equated to flipping coins. Whoever goes first in the blow-for-blow contest has a clear advantage (the first slap can end the fight), but it’s not so simple.
Rules for Power Slap Fighting
Power Slap League matches are played like a typical sport with offensive and defensive positions, depending on the turn. Therefore, a “striker” versus a “defender.”
Strikers get a 30-second window to tee up a “permitted slap to the permitted target area compliant with the wind-up.” The promoter can also add break time, per the official rules.
A “Power Slap Stick” is held behind the backs of the defenders with both hands and “their arms extended towards the ground.” Flinching, chin tucking, shoulder raising or using “any other method to block the strike” results in a foul.
Warnings can be issued, and strikers are sometimes allowed a second slap. A defender will lose points for subsequent fouls.
Like in traditional boxing, 10-second counts are in play and matches are judged on a 10-point must system. Damage of slaps and defender recoverability are scoring factors.
“I’m really into this; I like it,” White said during a November 2022 Power Slap League press conference. “When we announced this, there was a lot of concern about the health and safety of some guys. Us [the UFC] getting involved guarantees it will be much safer.”
Where to Watch Power Slap
Currently, Power Slap events stream live and free across the globe on Rumble. Rumble is available for free on desktop, mobile and web at Rumble.com, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Apple TV, Samsung TV’s, Android & Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku Streaming Players and Roku TVs and LG TV.
Power Slap is also available for commercial venue subscribers of DirecTV (channel 9537 in the United States).
The league’s inaugural season featured eight one-hour episodes akin to the reality-style format of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), a show which helped grow the UFC in the mid-2000s. The series debuted on the TBS network on Jan. 18, 2023. Subsequent episodes aired on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
Clips of the sport often go viral on social media, helping make it attractive for White.
Time will tell whether White can leverage the exposure to elevate slap fighting to similar heights as TUF or MMA, accompanied by widespread betting interest.
Not a New Concept
The Power Slap League is a new project in the United States. In Europe, however, a separate promotion called the SlapFIGHT Championship has been around for longer. The league attracted YouTuber Logan Paul and film icon Arnold Schwarzenegger as celebrity commentators, and DraftKings Sportsbook has offered odds on matches.
Forbes Betting reached out to SlapFIGHT Championship for comment on the ins and outs of betting on its league. The promotion responded by saying they’ve been working with sportsbooks and other betting platforms but didn’t elaborate.
As of early 2023, only a few states where sports betting is legal have authorized wagering on slap fighting. DraftKings listed odds for one of the events on Dec. 3, 2022, including a moneyline for the winner and an over/under on the number of rounds.
For example, a SlapFIGHT Championship match between competitors nicknamed “The Neanderthal” and “The Hulk” was listed at the near-dead even odds of -120 and -110. Wagers were allowed on the match winner and over/under 9.5 rounds (10 rounds total).
DraftKings looks to be the only online sportsbook that currently lists odds for slap fighting, with top rival FanDuel Sportsbook not yet taking bets.
“A separate slap league is approved for wagering in Colorado. However, FanDuel does not offer markets on that league,” FanDuel told Forbes Betting. “While we cannot comment on what regulators might do, Colorado may approve this Power Slap League since they approved a competitor. After speaking with our regulatory affairs team, we don’t expect any other [betting] states to approve it at this time.”
Power Slap Betting
While a betting industry giant like FanDuel isn’t sold on slap fighting gaining traction nationally for regulated wagering, PSL President Frank Lamicella has ambitious plans for gambling. White is the producer, but Lamicella runs the day-to-day operations.
Lamicella informed Forbes Betting that the promotion has had at least two Las Vegas sportsbooks, Station Casinos and Wynn, reach out with the intention of posting odds for the first live event, which hasn’t yet been scheduled.
The company’s focus is getting the product off the ground and educating U.S.-facing sportsbooks about how the sport works, potentially leading to additional state regulation.
“The sport is going to be interesting to the betting population for a bunch of reasons,” Lamicella said. “One, it’s simple to understand and know what’s going on. It’s got an interesting angle of odds twists.
“Important in this sport is who goes first,” he added. “The coin toss, which we’re using to determine that, must be done as far in advance as practicable to allow the oddsmakers to put numbers up. They’ll need to know who goes first to set those odds.”
Dramatic Odds Swings
Lamicella admitted there could be massive betting favorites depending on the coin toss.
“If a favorite wins the coin toss, you’re going to have big lines,” Lamicella said. “For live betting, it will be interesting to see someone start the match at -800. The favorite wins the coin toss but lands a slap that doesn’t knock the other guy out. It’s possible that the line flips, say -400 for the other guy.”
Of course, live betting on the PSL isn’t yet available, as the promotional launch has pre-taped episodes. When wagering arrives, there will be a significant difference compared to MMA, with no minute-long breaks between five-minute rounds. The types of bets will remain familiar, though, as Lamicella highlighted the typical over/under on rounds, method of victory and, of course, who wins the match.
The prop odds could also swing dramatically.
Fast-Paced Betting Action
The PSL could be appealing to bettors due to its speed.
“It’s not a baseball game,” Lamicella said. “You don’t have to sit down, make one bet, and see what happens over three hours. You get the action right away. There’s no holding back. In five minutes, you’re going to see a bunch of slaps. You’re going to see comebacks. You get a lot of action in a short period.”
Lamicella admitted the sport could be tricky for oddsmakers due to the relative anonymity of some competitors at the beginning of a season. However, he thinks this will change.
“The first event, sportsbooks are going to say, ‘Okay, who are these guys?’ How can I even put odds up? So what we’ve done is between our qualifier event back in March [2022] and all the matches we just shot for the Power Slap Road to the Title TV show, we have over 50 official match results. That’s available to the books so they see who’s beaten who, by what method and what round. We have all that information.”
Photo: Chris Unger/ Zuffa LLC
