Dana White’s “Power Slap” show is being delayed.
TBS has had serious discussions about pulling the plug on the new fight promotion being fronted by White after an incident, in which he slapped his wife on New Year’s Eve in Mexico, but has decided for now to just move back the start time.
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After The Post reported TBS would delay the premiere of the show that was slated for next Wednesday, Jan. 11, TBS spokeswoman Jori Arancio confirmed that was accurate and added that Slap show now is scheduled to begin on Jan. 18.
White had announced the promotion in November. The sport was to consist of two fighters slapping each other in the face with timed turns until one emerged victorious.
Earlier this week, TMZ published a video of a domestic incident between White and his wife, Anne.
The video, shot by a bystander at a nightclub in Cabo, showed White saying something to his wife.
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She slapped him and he responded by slapping her twice before they were quickly separated.
“My wife and I were out for New Year’s Eve, and, unfortunately, that’s what happened,” White said in an interview with TMZ.
“I’m one of the guys, you’ve heard me say for years, there’s never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman. And, now here I am on TMZ talking about it.
“My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years. We’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. We’ve obviously been through some s–t together. We’ve got three kids, and this is one of those situations that’s horrible. I’m embarrassed, but it’s also one of those situations where right now we’re more concerned about our kids. We’ve shown the kids the video, and we’re more focused on our family right now.”
Stephen A. Smith, who is repped by UFC owner Endeavor and is a broadcaster on ESPN, which is the exclusive rightsholder of UFC, called on White to punish himself as he would a fighter under these circumstances.
It is possible that “Power Slap” will be postponed as opposed to outright cancelled.
The news that “Power Slap” on TBS is in jeopardy was first reported by Jeremy Botter, a writer who covers UFC on a Substack page.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
