The Power Slap League was launched in 2023 and is already in high demand. Events typically draw around 250,000 viewers, and major events are held every 2-4 months. It may still be in its infancy, but Dana White’s Power Slap League is on the up and up. However, you can’t really make big money as a slapping specialist – yet, that is.
Power Slap is not without its controversies, with numerous public health officials and members of the UFC criticising the sport amid health concerns for those involved. White has assured that the organising committee is working on improving safety conditions among the fighters, and that fighters are not in any more danger than MMA professionals or boxers.
In his own words, White said.
“In Slap, they take three-to-five slaps per event. Fighters in boxing take 300–400 punches per fight.”
What is the Power Slap League?
Before getting into the details of how much the fighters get paid, it is worth briefly providing an overview of what this new combat sports league entails. Dana White has recently stated that the Power Slap League is worth half a billion dollars, so what makes it so lucrative?
As we mentioned above, it was launched two years ago by UFC chief executive Dana White, and is a new combat sport where strikers slap each other with no form of defence over three rounds (one slap per round). The same strategy that White and his partners used in the early days of the UFC has been applied successfully to the Power Slap.
The new league gained traction thanks to a reality television series called “Power Slap: Road to the Title” where contestants engaged in face-slapping matches as they competed to win the “Power Slap League” tournament.
It’s brutal nature has drawn huge interest, as nothing like this has ever been seen before. With the amount of money being pumped into this and the success it has had with television companies, many outsiders now wonder how much the fighters are being paid.
How Much Do Fighters Get Paid Per Fight in Power Slap?
No figures have come from official sources yet, but Dana White has given hints about how much he pays Power Slap Fighters. Events are Pay-Per-View, and contracted fighters get paid for each fight they participate in. It is exactly how UFC contracts work, though the salary figures are not quite there yet. In a promotional interview, Dana White revealed that Power Slap fighters could walk away with $45,000 from one Power Slap event.
But this number was thrown into disrepute when former UFC fighter Eric Spicely said that he was offered $2,000 to show up and an extra $2,000 if he won. Spicely passed on the offer, and then took to social media to spill the beans on the poor salary. White then said that the salaries were closer to the purses for the first UFC events back in the 90s. That would suggest that fighters would earn up to $10k a night, in today’s terms. So what we are left with is around $2k to $10k, with a portion offered up front and then a boost if the fighter wins.
Salary Per Fight Rundown
$2k + $2k (2023)
To Show + Extra To Win
$2k – $10k (2024)
Salary Range Per Fight
You can watch Power Slap fights on Rumble and they are all hosted in the fighting promotion’s headquarters, in the UFC Apex.
Power Slap Prize Money
You’d feel a bit sore if your slapping efforts only earned you a good $4k + $4k. But fighters can receive even more money through bonuses. In Power Slap 7, Dana White revealed that 4 fighters won Performance of the Night bonuses, worth $10,000. In addition to this, Anthony Blackburn, who knocked out Christapher Thomas in a knockout, was given a further $10,000 Bitcoin bonus from Crypto.com.
Bonuses Breakdown
$10k
Performance of the Night
$10k
Bitcoin Bonus
Eric Spicely tweeted the $2k + $2k salary in January of 2023, and Power Slap 7 took place in April of 2024. Power Slap 1 was held in March of 2023, and by May, Power Slap 2 was held and performance bonuses of $10k were added.
While the exact figures of what fighters earn are not public information (they belong to the Nevada Athletic Commission), White has said that salaries are continuously getting bumped and Power Slap fighters. The biggest number we heard was $45,000 for one night – perhaps from Appearance + Win + PotN + Crypto bonuses. As the popularity of Power Slap grows, so does the demand for betting on Power Slap. The normal process is the money follows the betting and as more and more people start to wager on the sport, the chances are that competitors will be paid more.
Power slap has taken off massively around the globe, and no more so than here in the US. However, betting on power slap has been a lot slower. There are only a handful of legal sportsbooks and betting apps available, well, at least for now, with DraftKings really leading the way on offering markets on the sport.
Breakdown of Power Slap Fighter Salary Per Fight
So let’s have a quick runthrough of the grand total a fighter can earn in a night. We will start from the base salary of just turning up, to the mammoth grand prize that awaits the hardest hitters.
Total Power Slap Pay Per Fight
$2k
Show
$4k – $10k
Show and Win
$10k – $20k
Win and PotN Bonus
<$45k
PotN and other Performance Bonuses
Again though, these are estimates based on the information that has been published. It is easily imaginable that these salaries and performance bonuses increase as the Power Slap League expands.
Comparing Power Slap Salaries to UFC Fighters
The Power Slap League pales in comparison to the UFC. Fighters in the UFC have salaries ranging from $10k – $30k per fight for unranked fighters all the way up to the top UFC fighters who can even make $500k in one night.
There are lots of additional factors to consider here though. UFC is over 30 years in the making, and in the last 20 years UFC has traveled across the USA and also to numerous countries abroad. The fighting promotion is massive, with hundreds of fighters in the UFC roster right now, and is broadcast all over the world.
UFC Pay Per Fight Rundown
$10k – $30k
Unranked/New Fighters
$100k – $500k
Established Fighters
Power Slap may be younger, but it is growing much faster than UFC did back in the 2010s. While it faces lots of scrutiny (as UFC did from the ’90s to the 2000s), the Power Slap League has been contracted for a 10th season and has expanded beyond the US in just over 1 year.
Highest Paid Power Slap Fighter
While we don’t know how much the top Power Slap fighters earn, it will not be anywhere near the top UFC earners. Just consider this: even the top Power Slap contestants have daytime jobs.
While we don’t know how much the top Power Slap fighters earn, it will not be anywhere near the top UFC earners. Just consider this: even the top Power Slap contestants have daytime jobs.
Ron Bata “Wolverine”
Works as a lumber truck driver
Damien Dibbell “The Bell”
A mover, HVAC apprentice and worked at Panera bread
Layne Koa Viernes “Da Crazy Hawaiian”
Worked in road construction for over a decade
How Much a Fighter Can Potentially Earn
In the current format, there are 4-5 Power Slap events per year, and if you consider that fighters can take $10k for showing and winning their bouts, that racks up to a hefty $40k – $50k per year. But we want to know how much the top fighter earns.
Top Fighter Salary Prediction
Up to $180k – $225k per year
If a fighter enters every event and not only wins a PotN bonus but also the additional performance bonuses to max out and get $45k, they could be looking at around $180k up to $225k per year. In terms of slaps, according to Dana White – that converts to around 20 slaps in a calendar year. Unless that is, the fighter can knock out their opponent nice and early.
