For years, Joe Rogan has been highly critical when it comes to his good friend Dana White’s ambitious investment in Power Slap, even calling it “insulting to an actual fight” back in March. Often, the UFC color commentator has questioned the sport’s relevance among combat sports and has even shared his frustration that the promotion did not invest in a more established combat sport like kickboxing. So, when UFC star Daniel Rodriguez told him that Power Slap athletes had been training at the UFC Performance Institute alongside MMA and Zuffa boxing athletes, Rogan labeled the entire thing “silly.”

“Slap fight guys train?” Rogan asked Rodriguez. “I guess that’s it, right? Swinging things with your arms. Yeah, I guess, like cable machines, you know what I’m saying? Get a cable on your wrist and do this[slaps] a bunch of times. And they use that all the time? The Power Slap guys do? That’s so silly.”

Well, for a proper MMA practitioner like Rogan, who has been associated with the UFC for over two decades and followed boxing closely all his life, it’s understandable that he would find it hard to comprehend why slap-fighting athletes need customized training. But it’s been a while since the PowerSlap roster moved their training to the UFC PI in Las Vegas. Most notably, Darius Mata Varona, widely known as ‘The Destroyer,’ trained with his team at the PI in 2023.

But when it comes to training itself, Power Slap athletes need to undergo multiple procedures, including strength and mobility training. Prominent slap fighter Mikael Michelle Brown once explained on the Burn Factory Show podcast that athletes rarely do cardio and focus mainly on repetition-based training.

While Joe Rogan found the power Slap athletes training at UFC PI “silly,” he did admit that the athletes deliver their slaps with tremendous force.

“Some of these guys get knocked out. Oh, 100%, man,” Rogan added. “It’s not less powerful than a punch. This idea that you’re slapping like this, that’s not what they’re doing. They’re hitting with the palm of the hand, right on your jaw. It’s super powerful. You can only take so many of those in your whole life, and you’re lining up for them.”

Now, despite the criticism, Dana White is continuing to push forward with his vision, and Power Slap is set to hold an international event next.

Power Slap 22 is scheduled to take place in Serbia with two title fights

In a press release, Power Slap announced that the premier slap-fighting organization is coming to Europe for the first time, with Serbia set to host its next event. On July 30, Power Slap 22 will feature two title bouts as the headliners at Belgrade Arena, two days before UFC’s Fight Night show in Serbia.

Hungarian-born judo champion and bodybuilder Franciska Szabo, who goes by the name ‘Sheena Bathory,’ will engage in a slap contest with PFL fighter Abby Montes for the inaugural featherweight slap-fighting championship in the main event. Following that, the co-main event promises an intriguing showdown between undefeated Damien ‘The Bell’ Dibbell and Dorian Perez for the heavyweight championship in a highly anticipated rematch.

Last time, Dibbell defeated Perez via unanimous decision at Power Slap 10 two years ago. So, it will be interesting to see whether the tables can turn in the rematch. Other than that, Power Slap 22 has several matchups.

With Dana White making Power Slap athletes train at the UFC PI, it is a sign that he intends to keep pushing the promotion forward. Also, Power Slap’s move into Serbia shows that White believes in the league’s global reach. However, with many opposing voices, such as those of Nate Diaz and Joe Rogan, who don’t believe in the product, it will be interesting to see whether the league can ever grow into a major combat sports property like the UFC or even Zuffa.