Neurosurgeons respond to Dana White dismissing their Power Slap study, call for collaboration to run medical trials

Dana White recently dismissed a medical study about the potential dangers of Power Slap. Now, the Neurosurgeons who were part of the research want to collaborate with the UFC CEO to run proper medical trials.

A recent video analysis published in JAMA Surgery concluded that nearly 80 percent of Power Slap contestants from seasons 1 to 5 exhibited telltale signs of a concussion.

However, during the UFC 307 post-fight presser, White dismissed the study, claiming the doctors were merely seeking attention and knew nothing about the promotion's medical protocols.

Check out Dana White's comments below:

One of the researchers involved in the study responded directly to White's skepticism, offering to discuss the findings in detail with the fight promoter.

Since debuting in 2023, White's premier slap-fighting tournament has been subjected to intense scrutiny because of the suspected danger of severe head trauma the contestants might face in the sport.

MMA Knockout's Mat Riddle recently interviewed two doctors behind the study. During the interview, doctors Raj Lavadi and Nitin Agarwal stated that they wanted to make the public aware of the sport's inherent risks so that they wouldn't try to replicate it in their own backyards.

The doctors, however, confessed that mere video analysis might not provide enough data to draw credible conclusions. They now hope to work directly with the promotion and its fighters to obtain more conclusive findings:

"We want to put instrumental mouthguards into these combatants so we can measure what is the actual force they are sustaining when they get hit. So we would like to recruit as many of these combatants as possible." [H\t MMA Knockout]

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When Dana White pledged stringent safety protocols for Power Slap

While many in the combat sports community and the general public seem convinced that Power Slap's no-defense aspect makes it one of the most dangerous sports, Dana White thinks otherwise.

During an interview with 10 X health systems founder Grant Cardone, White pledged that they were implementing the same health protocols used for the UFC for Power Slap.

Furthermore, the MMA promoter flaunted his enviable track record for fighter safety to make his case for his slap-fighting league:

"There is nobody better in combat sports health and safety than me. We bought the UFC in 2001. From 2001 to 2023 there has never been a death or serious injury in the UFC... I'm going to do the same exact medical protocol that we do for the UFC, for the slap guys. [In] an average boxing match a guy takes 400-600 punches. These slap guys take three slaps or less."

Check out Dana White's comments below: