Report shows Dana White's big Power Slap League claim to be fake

A report by Trent Reinsmith from Bloody Elbow states that Dana White's claim of the Power Slap League getting 'sanctioned everywhere' is not true. The company president spoke big about his slap-fighting venture and successfully got the sport sanctioned in the state of Nevada. However, other states have either not sanctioned the sport or haven't made a decision to sanction it yet.

The Power Slap League has received a lot of critique right from its inception from members of the MMA community. Many people argue that athletes in slap-fighting are at risk of suffering long-term head trauma. Furthermore, White's league suffered from lackluster ratings, along with being dropped by the TBS network for a second season.

Here's what Dana White said about his bullish projections on Power Slap League at the UFC 286 post-fight press conference:

"When I looked at this thing back in [2018], and it had 350 million views, with the production value it had and everything else - my big question was, 'what would happen if it was done right?' We found out. And then, tonight, Frank who is the president of the company hit me up and said that he's been fielding international calls over the last several days."

Despite crumbling ratings, White projected confidence in his venture. He continued with:

"A lot of people were sh*tting on this thing. Watch what we do with this thing in the next two years. What we're doing now is we're going out and getting this thing sanctioned everywhere."

Skip to 20:29 for Dana White's bullish take on Power Slap League:

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Did Dana White's Power Slap League actually get sanctioned across the US?

According to the aforementioned report by Bloody Elbow, 25 out of 26 state athletic commissions have either not sanctioned slap-fighting or haven't come to a decision to sanction it yet.

The only state to have sanctioned Dana White's Power Slap League is Nevada, which sanctioned the sport in the fall of 2022.

Below is a table containing a list of 26 states and the status of approval for the Power Slap League, along with remarks:

State	Status	Remarks
Alabama	Not sanctioned	Slap-fighting illegal
California	Not sanctioned	CSAC not considering slap-fighting
Colorado	Not sanctioned	Not approved
Connecticut	Not sanctioned	Slap fighting illegal
Florida	Not sanctioned	FAC hasn't reached a consensus yet
Georgia	Not sanctioned	PSL doesn't meet the definition of any approved fighting style recognized by the state
Idaho	Not sanctioned	Not approved
Indiana	Not sanctioned	Not permitted unless explicitly approved by the Indian General Assembly
Kentucky	Not sanctioned	KBWC not including slap-fighting in its regulation
Maryland	Not sanctioned	Need approval of state legislature before MAC
Michigan	Not sanctioned	No rules of engagement between MUCC and slap-fighting
Minnesota	Not sanctioned	Not approved
Mississippi	Not sanctioned	Not approved, but currently being discussed
Nebraska	Not sanctioned	Can only be approved by law makers. No existing bill on slap-fighting
Nevada	Sanctioned	Sanctioned in 2022
New Hampshire	Not sanctioned	Not approved
New York	Not sanctioned	Not approved
North Dakota	Not sanctioned	Commission rules state that combatants must be gloved
Oklahoma	Not sanctioned	Not approved
Oregon	Not sanctioned (yet)	Discussions currently underway. Process may take 6 - 12 months
Rhode Island	Not sanctioned	No proposals regarding slap-fighting submitted
South Carolina	Not sanctioned	No proposals regarding slap-fighting submitted
Tennessee	Not sanctioned	Not approved
Texas	Not sanctioned	No proposals regarding slap-fighting submitted
Washington	Not sanctioned	No laws in place to regulate slap-fighting
Wyoming	Not sanctioned	No proposals regarding slap-fighting submitted

The UFC president's slap-fighting organization has been on the receiving end of sharp criticism since the idea for the sport was incepted. Journalists like Ariel Helwani and Luke Thomas made scathing criticisms of the league as soon as it was even announced.

Here's what Luke Thomas tweeted back in October 2022:

'If boxing is to hit and not be hit, slap fighting is kinda the opposite where getting hit is specifically arranged and done without impediment. Nevada’s commission is pretty shameless."