“It is one of the most entertaining and fastest growing sports in the world,” said Trevor Bester, CEO of BGTN and now co-partner of Ultimate Slapfight South Africa (SA).
Excited to ink the agreement with founder, and now co-CEO of Ultimate Slapfight SA, Bobby Krisch, Bester said, “BGTN is very, very happy to be a partner in Ultimate Slapfight. We look forward to taking this sport to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the rest of Africa.”
You might wonder how a sport in which two competitors standing rigidly upright with their hands behind their backs, waiting to absorb a brutal slap to the face, is taking the world by storm.
A striker earns points based on technique and has 60 seconds to recover from a hit. A match lasts for three to five rounds with winners collecting as much as $10 000.
The craze started in Eastern Europe and fast produced some viral video stars. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is selling slap fighting (Powerslap) in America as the next big thing.
UFC President, Dana White, told the media, “We’re building another new combat sport like we did with the UFC. This is only the first year. The velocity of growth and the amount of traction in business is remarkable.”
White points to “over a billion views” of Powerslap content across social media platforms. And women too, are heading to the table.
Dramatic to watch, the open-handed blows deliver a sharp sound and while some fighters barely move after being slapped, others stumble backward, fall to the floor or are knocked out.
Although competitors have held unregulated matches in small venues for years, the contests received a major stamp of approval in October when the Nevada Athletic Commission sanctioned it as a sport.
“It’s an honour for me to be here today and make it official,” said Bobby Krisch, co-partner of Ultimate Slapfight SA. “Partnering with BGTN is going to take Ultimate Slapfight to another level”.
GET SLAPPED WITH BGTN!
Wow