Dana White remains unfazed by the torrent of backlash he continues to receive for his brainchild, the Power Slap League. Since its initial announcement, this slap fighting league has faced relentless criticism regarding its legitimacy, safety measures, and overall viability. Not only have fans expressed their disappointment with this venture, but a number of athletes have also voiced their discontent with White’s foray into this controversial realm.

Despite the mounting retaliation, White shows no signs of backing down or abandoning his pursuit of the Power Slap League’s success. In fact, he recently announced the highly anticipated second season of the league, defying the skepticism that surrounds it. The 53-year-old UFC supremo has been candid about the wave of hate his new venture has been receiving. Surprisingly, he doesn’t mind it at all. To him, this backlash is akin to the early days of the UFC, where the sport faced similar skepticism and doubters.

Loving all the hate

In a recent interview on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, White discussed head-on how he handles the immense backlash that Power Slap receives. Reflecting on this criticism, he drew a parallel to the early days of the UFC, highlighting the similarity in the negative reception both ventures encountered. With a spirited demeanor, White boldly proclaimed, “Everybody’s still talking sh*t though. But it’s all good, I love it.”

He further emphasized, “It’s part of what fires me up and fuel me. And I haven’t felt this way in like 15 or 16 years. So, it reminds be of when I started the UFC. It’s hard to fathom now when you look how big the UFC is. But this is exactly what used to happen with the UFC. Literally nobody would cover it. All they did was talk sh*t about it. ‘This will never be a sport. It’ll never get on TV. It’ll never do this…’. I love all the f**king ‘nevers’. I love ’em.”

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In addition to his unbothered stance towards the criticism, the promotional frontman has recently made a bold claim about the safety of the slap-fighting league.

Dana White claims Power Slap to be a safer sport

Recently, Dana White sat down with the social media personality Nina Marie Daniele for an interview. During their conversation, the topic of participant safety in Power Slap emerged, prompting the UFC president to defend the sport’s safety record.

He confidently claimed that Power Slap is a safer sport than boxing. With utmost conviction, he stated, “We spend the money to make sure we have two healthy people in there before the fight. But, in [Power]Slap, they take 3-5 slaps per event. Fighters in boxing, take 300-400 punches a fight.”

He dismissed the negative comments as stemming from ignorance or malicious intent, suggesting that those who question the sport’s safety are misinformed. In his trademark direct manner, he expressed, “It’s uneducation or pure hate.”

Having said that, the season 2 of Power Slap is currently airing live on Rumble. Are you excited for the second installment of Dana White’s slap-fighting league? Let us know in the comments below.

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