UFC star Tom Aspinall explains why he doesn’t like Dana White’s controversial Power Slap League: ‘People should be given the opportunity to defend themselves’
UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall is not a fan of slap fights.
This relatively new sport sees two contestants take turns slapping each other in an effort to score a knockout or knock their opponent out.
Slap fights have been condemned by many because part of the rules state that the person being slapped is not allowed to flinch or move away from their opponent’s strike.
It has led to those involved in the sport suffering horrific injuries and being badly knocked out, but that hasn’t put off UFC President Dana White, who recently launched his own slap fight promotion.
Power Slap debuted last month to an initially muted response before several disturbing New League videos of White went viral and caused an uproar on social media.
As the top heavyweight in the UFC, Aspinall has numerous knockouts to his credit, but struggles with the fact that slap fighters aren’t allowed to use an obvious form of defense.
He told talkSPORT: “I haven’t watched much of it. I’ve never watched a live event, just seen clips like everyone else.
“Personally, I don’t like it. I don’t like that kind of stuff. People should be given the opportunity to defend themselves if they wish.
“In that, it looks like a free kick. I just don’t want it at all. It seems like a lot of people don’t like it. It’s definitely not my cup of tea. »
The 29-year-old is the latest UFC fighter to speak out against Power Slap.
Sean O’Malley, who sparked controversy by expressing his support for White after he was filmed slapping his wife, recently opened up about why he can’t watch the slap fights.
‘Sugar’ said on his YouTube channel: “It’s weird because some people love it.
“I could see maybe watching the TV series like ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ like them at home, meeting them, seeing their stories.
“But the actual ‘sport’, whatever you call it, itself, I can’t watch. I can’t watch it. I can’t watch it, because I understand what concussions are.
“I understand, I went through them. I know how bad it is to do this to your brain… I can’t even see it.
Power Slap aired its third episode on Wednesday night after White claimed it would make the sport “much safer” in the near future.
The 53-year-old, who continues to defend the sport against critics, will return to his day job at the UFC this weekend to oversee a Fight Night with Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak.
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