On Friday night at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Dane “Da Hawaiian Hitman” Viernes stood completely still with his chin raised and hands behind his back as the enormous Makini “Big Mac” Manu delivered a fierce slap to his head.
Viernes, a 33-year-old standing 6-foot-2, was granted a 60-second recovery period—if he didn’t lose consciousness—and would return the blow to Manu, who is 32.
The two exchanged heavy hits until one was knocked out or a winner was declared through a power slap.
Power Slap, a concept introduced by Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promoter, began in 2023 and has quickly risen to prominence in the brutal art of slap fighting. This disturbing trend is drawing attention, and experts warn of its serious consequences.
“We’re creating a new generation of athletes facing post-concussion syndrome and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) with insufficient compensation for long-term care,” said Dr. Christopher Nowinski, a neuroscientist studying CTE. “This will become our societal burden for decades, as we’ll have to care for more individuals struggling with mental health and dementia.”
The media has reached out to White for his take on the matter. Historically, he’s deflected criticism while promoting the growing interest in Power Slap.
“People love it,” he stated. “The numbers speak for themselves.”
In reality, Power Slap records about 1 billion views monthly on social media and boasts roughly 4 million YouTube subscribers along with 14 million followers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Typically, matches consist of three to five slaps per participant, and they often conclude rapidly as fighters struggle to recover from the force of the hits. A winner is identified by knockout, technical knockout, or based on a referee’s judgment regarding the effectiveness, precision, and force of the strikes.
The inaugural event in Las Vegas in 2023 resulted in a range of injuries among contestants, including bloodied lips, black eyes, and even cases of amnesia and unconsciousness. Medical professionals noted that some fighters showed signs consistent with severe concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
The severity of these injuries casts a stark shadow over the head traumas seen in boxing, football, and mixed martial arts.
A 2025 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association analyzed 78 slap fights, revealing that nearly 79% of competitors exhibited signs of concussion—many of whom resumed slapping afterward.
In 2021, a Polish slap fighter named Artur Walczak lost consciousness during a match and suffered a brain hemorrhage. He spent a month in a medically induced coma before unfortunately passing away.
Boxing has long faced scrutiny for head injuries, but there’s a notable difference; participants can dodge attacks. In contrast, power slap competitors must remain stationary and absorb the hit when it’s their turn.
Nowinski argues that the rising popularity of such events indicates a growing desensitization to violence. “CTE frequently results from participation in sports deemed culturally acceptable, yet many of these activities wouldn’t have been accepted a decade ago,” he noted.
Other extreme sports are also making their mark.
In 2018, Wyoming was the first state to legalize bare-knuckle boxing in the U.S. The sport is thriving, with over 60 events last year, offering no gloves and a smaller ring to increase the intensity.
Lethwei, a brutal form of bare-knuckle boxing from Burma that permits headbutting, is gaining traction as well.
A recent trend, known as Run It Championship (RNC), based out of Australia since 2025, combines elements of football and rugby, with two large individuals sprinting towards each other down a 60-foot runway, colliding at full speed with no padding.
Like power slaps, these quick and impactful showcases are perfect for social media, racking up tens of millions of views.
Nowinski expressed concerns over the RNC’s popularity. “The normalization of brain injuries risks sending a damaging message to young people, which is truly unfortunate,” he said.
He also criticized the Nevada State Athletic Commission for approving Power Slap in October 2022 before its debut.
“We had a chance to stop this from becoming a sustainable enterprise,” he remarked. “But the opportunity has passed.”
Conversely, critics of White are urged to simply avoid the sport and its audiences, overlooking the broader implications of CTE.
“If you don’t like it, don’t watch it!” he asserted in 2023. “Is it upsetting you? Try watching ‘The Voice.’”
