02 February 2023 , 15:45
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Sean O'Malley refuses to watch Dana White's slap-fighting league due to its association with brain injuries.
UFC kingpin White decided to venture out from MMA after his success in expanding the UFC, launching a new slap-fighting league named Power Slap. The sport has always invited controversy due to the damage inflicted on the fighters - something which has been heightened by White's involvement.
Critics have pulled apart the opening two weeks of the series, which is set to feature a finale live on pay-per-view as the 'Road To The Title' series concludes. But O'Malley insists he would only ever watch the fighters' stories and their journey to reach the sport.
Dana White has launched his controversial Power Slap (PowerSlap/Rumble)“It’s weird because some people just love it,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel when assessing White's newly launched league. “I could see maybe watching the TV series part of it like ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ like them at the house, meeting them, seeing their back stories.
"But the actual ‘sport,’ whatever you wanna call it, itself, I can’t watch. I cannot watch it. I don’t know if it’s I can’t watch it, because I understand what concussions are. I understand; I’ve been through them. I know how bad it is to do that to your brain. I can’t even see it.”
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In the first episode of the series, there were several major incidents which threatened to overshadow the series with Chris Kennedy, losing his memory briefly after a brutal KO left him out cold on the floor. A doctor then placed further scrutiny on the incident suggesting that the fighter may "never be the same" after receiving the brutal blow.
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Another fighter, Kortney Olson, was also left in a bad way after stumbling into the podium following a thunderous shot before attempting to walk into the crowd before the fight was stopped. Alex Asbury suffered a damaging disfigured facial injury which saw him stopped following a medical examination but he was later allowed to fight for redemption.
However he then received a medical suspension despite winning by disqualification, after being dropped by a whipping slap just minutes before his hand was raised. Despite the appeals against the league gathering pace, White has vehemently defended its launch insisting that fans are not forced to watch the event if left uncomfortable.
“I saw a lot of the goofballs talking s*** — goofballs being media guys — talking about, ‘What’s next, mallets?’. Stupid s*** like that,” White said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “The bottom line is, in a boxing match, guys get hit with 300 to 400 punches in a f****** fight. For these morons to be talking all the s*** that they are about the athletic commission, the athletic commission did the right thing. So did we. We run right toward regulation, regulate the sport to make sure it’s safe for everybody."