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“It’s Just CTE for Money”- UFC Veteran Goes In on Power Slap and “Untouchable” Dana White

Published 03/21/2023, 7:30 AM EDT

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Dana White and the Power Slap League continue to receive criticism even after the maiden season’s completion. White’s latest promotional venture raised many eyebrows since its inception. However, the biggest blow to it was the New Year’s eve controversy involving White and his wife. Nevertheless, a headstrong Dana White fended his show against critics and completed one season.

Now, another UFC veteran has come forward with a clear set of criticism for White and Power Slap, explaining why the controversial league is detrimental to the UFC brand and the sport of MMA as a whole.

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Former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy went off on Dana White and Power Slap during a recent interview. The 40-year-old and his troubles with White and the UFC are no secret. However, Hardy had an eloquent criticism of Power Slap, explaining why the competition did not even qualify as a legitimate sport.

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Dan Hardy slams Dana White and Power Slap

In an interview posted on the ‘Triggernometry’ YouTube channel, Hardy explained his views on Dana White and Power Slap. “The Outlaw” held nothing back in his criticism and gave a candid opinion on the league.

He said, “It’s dangerous. It’s very, very dangerous.” The Englishman clarified he was trying not to project his opinions on Power Slap, given that he had seen it happen to the UFC during his early days at the promotion. However, he added, “My main issue with it is that it’s so closely tied to the UFC.”

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Speaking of the tie between UFC and Power Slap, Hardy said, “I guess in a way it reflects how strong the UFC brand is that now they can stick Power Slap on the side of it and they don’t feel like they’re doing damage to the sport. If you had done that in 2010, it would have completely invalidated the UFC as a brand because people were still on the fence about it.”

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Commenting on the dangers involved in the sport, the former GSP opponent said, “It’s just CTE for money. They’re trading brain cells for cash, and they’re only offering you a couple of thousand dollars to do it anyway… it’ll change your life for the negative, for sure. You’ll be eating soup for the rest of your life…”

Furthermore, he expressed frustration at how much the UFC and Dana White were forcing the league on UFC fans.

Hardy slams White for force-feeding Power Slap to fans

One criticism that Power Slap faced during its promotion was how the UFC official channels supported it. Many fight fans criticized White and the UFC for this practice. Hardy held the same opinion.

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He said, “I feel like Dana feels like he’s untouchable because they are ramming the Power Slap League down our throats. I’ve unfollowed Dana and the UFC on Instagram because I’m sick of seeing it popping up.”

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The former UFC star also dismissed the competition, saying it was not martial arts- “It misses the point of combat sports. It’s not a sport because there’s no competitiveness to it. It’s the person that can get up after taking full power slaps. That, in my eyes, is ridiculous. The art of martial arts is the attack and the defense.”

Considering their history and the circumstances of Hardy’s exit from the UFC, it is no surprise that he harshly criticized White and his venture. But are his criticisms valid?

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What do you think? Do you agree with “The Outlaw?” Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Yeswanth Praveen

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Yeswanth Praveen is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His interests mainly lie in the realm of MMA, bodybuilding, and the fitness industry. He finished his Master's in English literature from EFLU, Hyderabad.
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Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa