Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone loves Power Slap — just don’t expect him to ever participate in it.
On Friday night, the controversial upstart promotion’s sixth event went down in Las Vegas and drew a plethora of combat sports stars, online influencers, and celebrities. Also on hand for the festivities was the UFC Hall of Famer who offered an interesting endorsement for Dana White’s latest pet project.
“I love it,” Cerrone said. “This is, like, if you just want to watch knockout, knockout, knockout, and hear CTE brain damage, this is the event” (h/t MMA Fighting).
The UFC CEO has been pushing Power Slap hard over the last couple of years despite continued criticism from professional fighters and fight fans who have labeled the quote-unquote “sport” as nothing more than a barbaric display lacking any legitimate athletic merit.
Former NSAC Chairman Admits Regret over Sanctioning Power Slap
The inherent danger of Power Slap has also been a hot-button issue considering the entire premise is to hit someone in the head as hard as you can with the recipient disallowed from defending themselves. Still, that didn’t stop the NSAC from sanctioning Power Slap, a decision Stephen Cloobec — the former chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission — quickly came to regret. “I made a mistake,” Cloobeck told The Associated Press. “I’m not happy about it.”
‘Cowboy’ Cerrone spent 16 years competing against some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts under both the WEC and UFC banners. His memorable wars with Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, Rafael dos Anjos, Edson Barboza, Jorge Masvidal, Robbie Lawler, Leon Edwards, Tony Ferguson, and Justin Gaethje earned him a spot in the UFC’s Hall of Fame class of 2023.
But even after more than 50 fights inside the cage, don’t expect to see ‘Cowboy’ step up to the Power Slap podium anytime soon.
“Not even I would do this,” Cerrone said with a laugh.