Sean O’Malley questions the safety of Power Slap League: ‘I know how bad it is to do that to your brain’

UFC bantamweight contender, Sean O’Malley isn’t a fan of the Dana White-backed Power Slap League.

White’s newest venture, Power Slap League, has raised a lot of eyebrows since the UFC president’s announcement and further airings on the TV network, TBS. effectively, two competitors stand opposite each other, taking turns to slap one another as hard as they can, but without being able to flinch, block, or move.

This of course can result in brutal knockouts in which competitors show obvious signs of head trauma. Fighters are also reportedly paid $2,000 in show money, and $2,000 in win money for participating in the league.

Sean O’Malley ‘can’t watch’ Power Slap League

Talking on his YouTube channel, O’Malley joined a long line of fighters and those in the combat sports space, to express their dislike of the new venture.

“It’s weird because some people just love it,” O’Malley said “I could see maybe watching the TV series part of it like ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ like them at the house, meeting them, seeing their backstories. But the actual ‘sport,’ whatever you wanna call it, itself, I can’t watch.”

“I cannot watch it. I don’t know if it’s I can’t watch it, because I understand what concussions are. I understand; I’ve been through them. I know how bad it is to do that to your brain. … I can’t even see it.” (H/T MMAJunkie)

President of Power Slap, Frank Lamicella would defend the sport, claiming that there was, in fact, technique behind what was on show and that they could implement some sort of ‘defence’

“Talking to these guys, there’s definitely defence,” Lamicella began. “There is training the head, neck, shoulder muscles, and our sports science and sports data that we put out will start to support that. Learning how tense to make the muscles, how tense to clench the jaw, all of that matters. Learning to roll with the slap but not committing a flinching foul (matters).

“So it’s really a lot of timing. When do you close your eyes? Do you leave your eyes open the whole time? There are elements (of defence).”

Do you agree with Sean O’Malley or do you like Power Slap League?