The latest installment of UFC CEO Dana White's slap-fighting league, known as Power Slap 8, recently concluded at the Fontainebleau Resorts in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring an exciting lineup of two championship fights and a spectacle of knockouts and faces marked by slaps. Here's a comprehensive overview of the bouts, including the full event outcomes.
In the main event, Power Slap super heavyweight champion Koa Viernes successfully retained his title against Danie Van Heerden. 'Da Crazy Hawaiian' skillfully employed his experience and brute power to dismantle his opponent over five rounds. He scored two knockdowns and came close to securing a third when 'The Pitbull' nearly fell over the table in the fourth round.
Despite receiving a one-point deduction early in the first round for a clubbing infraction and enduring an additional slap, Viernes absorbed all of his opponent's strikes with seeming ease.
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While Van Heerden showed some flashes of competitiveness during the bout, they were not substantial enough to sway the judges. In the end, the scorecards were unanimous in favor of 'Da Crazy Hawaiian', with scores of 48-44, 47-45, and 47-45.
In the co-main event of Power Slap 8, Anthony Blackburn achieved a notable upset by dethroning the reigning champion Emanuel Muniz with a split decision, thus claiming the Power Slap welterweight title.
Blackburn and Muniz clashed fiercely for five rounds in a razor-thin contest. Blackburn's initial power shots were met with Muniz's resilient responses. Both fighters exchanged punishing slaps, revealing their enduring toughness.
However, when the scorecards were unveiled, two judges scored it 48-47 in favor of 'Babyface', while one judge favored 'No Love' with the same score, declaring Blackburn the new welterweight champion by split decision.
Meanwhile, in the featured bout of Power Slap 8, former UFC strawweight fighter Paige VanZant made a triumphant slap-fighting debut, securing a unanimous decision victory over Christine Wolmarans.
'12 Gauge' floored her opponent with powerful slaps in the second and third rounds of their three-round match. Though Wolmarans managed to stay on her feet, her attempts at offense barely affected VanZant.
Even with a fourth attempt granted after the fighter-turned-OnlyF*ns model was penalized for flinching in the third round, Wolmarans couldn't turn the tide. Ultimately, all three judges scored the bout 30-25 in VanZant’s favor.
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Check out the full card results below:
Main Card
Koa Viernes (c) def. Danie Van Heerden by unanimous decision (48-44, 47-45, 47-45): super heavyweight title
Anthony Blackburn def. Emanuel Muniz by split decision (48-47, 48-47 for Blackburn; 48-47 for Muniz): welterweight title
Paige VanZant def. Christine Wolmarans by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)
Vasilii 'Dumpling' Kamotskii def. Kamil Marusarz by KO in round one
Vernon Cathey def. Austin Turpin by TKO in round two
Preliminary Card
Isaiah Quinones, def. Wesley Drain by TKO in round two
Jackie Cataline def. German Lehner by DQ (striker foul) in round two
Duane Crespo def. Dayne Viernes by unanimous decision