Dana White reveals he has been diagnosed with brain spots but "wouldn't take back one punch" from boxing days

Dana White recently opened up about being diagnosed with "black spots" on his brain due to the blunt force trauma from his boxing days and addressed CTE concerns surrounding Power Slap contestants.

White has been vocal about his love for Power Slap and has repeatedly lauded the slap-fighting league's success. He also notably predicted that Power Slap would overtake the UFC in terms of size and popularity one day.

While Power Slap has seen a significant rise in popularity since its inception, many have slammed the sport for the long-term and short-term physical danger it poses to its participants. Considering that Power Slap fighters aren't allowed to defend shots straight to the skull, they run the risk of suffering from CTE, concussions, and other forms of internal/external bleeding.

Nevertheless, it appears White isn't overly concerned. In a recent interview with TIME magazine, the UFC CEO dismissed the health concerns regarding Power Slap and revealed that he also has "black spots" on his brain due to boxing.

Clarifying that he doesn't regret his boxing days, White said:

"I used to box when I was younger. I went in, and I did one of those brain studies. I have black spots all over my brain from what I did. I wouldn't take back one punch. Not one. The position that I'm in right here, right now, today, I wouldn't take one punch back because I loved it that much."

He continued:

"And the doctors all talk about, "Somebody could die" - I got news for all the doctors. We're all gonna die. How do you want to live your life? What do you love, and what are you passionate about?" [H/t: TIME]

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Dana White explains why he doesn't consider Power Slap to be dangerous to fighters' health

In the same interview, Dana White outlined why he didn't worry about Power Slap causing irreversible damage to fighters and compared the slap-fighting league to the UFC and boxing.

White explained that Power Slap fighters only compete a few times annually and don't take as much damage as UFC stars or boxers do. Clarifying that they have medical health professionals provide prompt care at all Power Slap events, he said:

"If you look at boxing, right, these guys train and spar for months leading up to a fight, then they go in there, and they fight 12 rounds. You've seen the UFC fights, knock-down, drag-’em-out wars. These guys go in and take three slaps or less... We spend the money. As long as you know you have two healthy athletes going in to compete, the proper medical attention is there that night, and they get the proper medical attention after, you take a huge portion of the risk out.