Although Dana White's 'Power Slap' has been shunned by many, it looks like the sport may have a super-fan in UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith. In his own words, he "can't get enough" of the show.
During a recent interview with Fight Nation on SiriusXM, 'Lionheart' spoke his mind about the new slap-fighting competition. The 34-year-old stated that he loves the show so much that he'll blindly buy the next 10 Power Slap pay-per-views:
"I've been saying for f*****g months I can't get enough of the Power Slap League. My body is ready for a pay-per-view. I will pay it, I don't care how much it costs. I'll pre-pay it. I'll pre-pay the next 10. I love it. I don't know why, I can't give you a reason."
The former light heavyweight title challenger added that although he is not sure what draws him to the sport, he is a fan of the interesting personalities that take part in the sport:
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"Imagine what you think, some of these guys would be like that are involved in the Power Slap League... That's exactly who they are and I'm a fan of chaos. These guys are godd**m maniacs. There is something wrong with them. There is something not right, they have a couple screws loose and they are my type of people. I love them."
The slap-fighting show debuted on TBS on January 18. Although it opened to abysmal viewing numbers, according to a report by FRONT OFFICE SPORTS, the show registered a 30% bump in viewership in the second episode.
When Michael Bisping almost lost his Power Slap commentary gig
Interestingly, Michael Bisping once dished out a slap to one of the Power Slap competitors.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Bisping revealed that during one episode of the show, he slapped a competitor at his request.
Jesse Nutting, who was slapped by 'The Count', ultimately had to withdraw from the bout after feeling "fuzzy headed." The incident led the former UFC middleweight champion to believe that he would be fired from his commentary gig:
"The guy involved, he says to me, 'Give me a little slap, Bisping.' I did not give him a proper slap, but I gave him just a little mess around. Anyways, he was scheduled for the last slap contest of the day, if you will... Then the producer comes in and tells me, 'Mike, apparently, the guy that you slapped, afterward, he started feeling all fuzzy headed and blurry and he said that he can't compete...' I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going to get fired for sure. Classic me strikes again.'"
Watch Bisping slap Jesse Nutting below: