In Oklahoma, slap fighting is a combat sport subject to state regulation, according to a formal opinion from the state Attorney General’s Office.
Slap fighting is a relatively new phenomenon where opponents trade undefended open-hand slaps to the face.
Flinching, dodging or blocking blows is prohibited, and contestants earn points based on the damage of their alternating slaps.
Guidance about the state’s responsibility over the sport was requested by Diana Fletcher, administrator of the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission. The commission oversees other combat sports in the state including professional boxing, wrestling and kickboxing.
In response, Attorney General Gentner Drummond confirmed slap fighting meets the state’s legal definition of a combat sport and added it to the official list of state regulated sports.
“Though slap fighting differs from existing combat sports as defenders may not ‘defend’ against the slap, the definition of ‘combative sport’ contains no requirements about available methods to defend against blows,” Drummond wrote in the release.
The sport is being popularized by Ultimate Fighting Championship president and CEO Dana White. White owns Power Slap, a slap fighting promotion company sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Nevada was the first state to formally regulate slap fighting and Drummond wrote his office relied on similar legal definitions to make a decision for Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State Athletic Commission is in charge of licensing, permitting and defining rules for combat sports. For example, official rules about what constitutes a foul in mixed martial arts are outlined by the agency.
The medical community has expressed concerns about the danger of brain trauma from slap fighting. One study reviewed videos from 78 slap fights and found that, of the 56 contestants, 78.6% exhibited at least one concussive sign.
Professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Lucas Rosa said he’s seen a rise in marketing for slap fighting but would call it “closer to competitive arm wrestling” than fighting.
“Except it does do real damage,” Rosa said. “Probably more damage than fighting because the competitors have to take the strikes to the face without protecting themselves.”
He says slap fighting could attract members of the MMA fan base but has questions about what training for competitions looks like.
“I imagine unlike other martial arts there is not quite as much technique,” Rosa said. “And probably would be impossible to train without leading to serious and consistent concussions.”
Still, Rosa said fighting is a “brutal business,” and he could see some professional mixed martial arts fighters competing in slap fight competitions for exposure or money.
“They call this sport ‘the hurt business’ for a reason … a lot of it is very exploitative to the competitors,” Rosa said. “I think they are also pushing it [slap fighting] because it’s easy to manage and they can get a percentage of the fanbase that follows MMA, while underpaying and not having to give the competitors any real power since it doesn’t require much skill to just stand there and get whacked.”
Moving forward, people getting whacked in Oklahoma will be subject to regulation from the Oklahoma State Athletics Commission. The agency has been tasked by Drummond’s office to bring it under its realm of control.
