30 January 2023 , 10:47
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Dana White has defended his decision to pay the stars of his new Power Slap League as little as $2,000 to compete in the competition.
The UFC president introduced the world to Power Slap at the end of last year, and had debuted a new TV show in which combatants slap each other in brutal bouts. And controversy was stoked earlier this month when former UFC fighter Eric Spicely told fans on Twitter he had been offered just $2,000 to fight on the show, with a further $2,000 if he were to win.
And White argues that he is paying his slap fighters better than some boxing promoters, insisting that the pay scale is not dissimilar to when the UFC started in the 90s. The UFC boss took to social media to defend his position, responding to a fan who mocked the series' name 'Road to the Title'.
A commenter on one of White's Power Slap Instagram posts joked that 'Road to the Title' didn't mean a great deal if you were making a minimum of $2,000. He replied that it was "how MMA started". He added: "Boxing undercards make this kind of money still. Educate yourself before you open the YAP."
The controversy stems from Spicely's initial tweets, which started with a message saying: "I was contacted to do power slap, you guys would be shocked at how much it pays," When a fan replied that it was "not enough", he wrote back: "First fight was $2k and $2k."
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Power Slap is a particularly dangerous sport, and losing fighters could make just $2,000 (Twitter/@powerslapleague)What do you make of Power Slap only paying fighters a minimum of $2,000? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
In the UFC, the minimum purse is $10,000 for fighters signed from the Contender Series which means Power Slap guarantees fighters five times less for competing. And that pay scale has even been criticised, with many fans and experts taking aim at White for underpaying MMA fighters, who are competing in a more recognised sport than slap-fighting.
Power Slap's official launch was delayed a week after White was filmed slapping his wife in public on New Year's Eve. Viewers outside the US only being able to watch the league on the streaming service Rumble, while ratings have been poor for their first two outings on American broadcaster TBS.