UFC CEO Dana White was able to make his new Power Slap promotion profitable in its first year of existence by replicating all the things he did right with UFC — while avoiding all the things he did wrong. That’s why Power Slap is already in the black, unlike Professional Fighters League (PFL) and The Rock’s new football experiment between XFL and UFL.
“We’re building another new combat sport like we did with the UFC,” White told SI.com. “This is only the first year. The velocity of growth and the amount of traction in business is remarkable. I don’t want to sh*t on these guys because they’re both my friends, but if you look at The Rock and Eric Shanks, they’re joining forces with the XFL and the UFL to build this new United Football League. PFL just bought Bellator. They’re all trying to make traction, but they’re not making money.”
Neither are Power Slap fighters.
It’s unclear where Power Slap makes its money since live events were closed to the public during its first year. In addition, the promotion was booted from TBS and repackaged on the free Rumble app. As for PFL, it recently acquired Bellator MMA and remains a fixture on ESPN programming after reaching a multi-year renewal last fall.
“Power Slap has only had five events, and we already have profitability in one year. What startup league in any sport can say that?” White added. “This is different. The PFL, those guys are out there trying to raise money trying to stay alive and relevant. We have a small, tight group of owners with no outside investors. High margin with high-cash conversion. This sport, it’s going global.”
It also has a small, tight group of fans, based on this recent feedback.