What happened in Ayjay Hintz vs. Russell Rivero Power Slap contest? Win via DQ explained

Ayjay Hintz and Russell Rivero co-headlined Power Slap 2 this past Wednesday. Their bout was a rematch of their first appearance under the Power Slap banner. Their initial match was scored as a victory for Hintz as he slapped his rival into unconsciousness and vowed to do the same in their second bout.

While a knockout did occur in the Power Slap 2 co-main event, it was a controversial one. Rivero initially seemed to have exacted his vengeance against Hintz after scoring a brutal knockout. Unfortunately, his strike was declared illegal after he committed a foul, leading to a disqualification loss.

The foul in question was due to Russell Rivero breaking the rule of stepping. The rule is simple enough. A striker's feet must stay in contact with the ground from the beginning to the end of their strike. While the minor raising of the heel caused by the momentum of a slap is not considered stepping, nothing more is allowed.

Stepping doesn't always immediately lead to a disqualification. Instead, only if it is the third such infraction or if the foul rendered the fouled opponent unable to continue competing—which Rivero did by KO'ing Hintz with an illegal blow—does it lead to disqualification loss.

Thus, Ayjay Hintz retained his light heavyweight title via DQ despite being on the receiving end of a knockout blow. The loss is likely a bitter pill to swallow for Russell Rivero, who now has two losses against his rival.

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What did Dana White recently say about Power Slap?

The UFC 288 post-fight press conference had plenty of headline-stealing moments. Sean O'Malley, off the heels of his scuffle with Merab Dvalishvhili, addressing his upcoming title fight against Aljamain Sterling is one. Henry Cejudo expressing his disappointment over his loss to 'Funk Master' is another.

However, the most perplexing moment was UFC president Dana White making an extraordinary claim. He first revealed that the streaming deal he spearheaded between Power Slap and Rumble was larger than the deal the UFC signed with SpikeTV after the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.

What generated controversy was his next statement. According to White, Power Slap's social media metrics are greater than the combined numbers of Formula One, the NBA, NFL, NHL, WWE and all others.

"We’re number one in all of sports, and when I say all of sports, if you take the NBA, NHL, NFL, F1, WWE, and who am I forgetting, and add them all together, their numbers don’t compare to Slap."

His statements led to enormous skepticism and scrutiny from the sports world, especially considering the disappointing ratings that the sport has drawn.