Anthony
Smith’s bid to compete in Power Slap was immediately rejected
by the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Advertisement
Run by Dana White, Power Slap has emerged as a controversial sport
with participants taking direct shots to the head without any form
of defense. While most UFC fighters haven’t been very supportive of
the idea, Smith has attempted to defend it as a legitimate
sport.
The former UFC title challenger even took the liberty to approach
the promotion with the offer to compete in Power Slap. However, UFC
exec Hunter Campbell immediately shut down the idea without even
discussing it with Dana White White.
“I tried, they told me no. Straight up,” Smith recently told Ariel
Helwani. “I asked Hunter and he told me no. He wouldn’t even bring
it to Dana. I don’t know, he said no.”
Anthony Smith says he asked Hunter Campbell
if he could compete on a Power Slap event, but Hunter said
no.#HelwaniShow
pic.twitter.com/NhCI1KwymH— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman)
January 21, 2025
A former light heavyweight title challenger, Smith has fallen on
tough times in recent years with a 2-5 mark since 2022. While Smith
returned to form with a first-round submission of Vitor
Petrino at UFC 301, he has since dropped consecutive outings.
Smith even considered retirement after a TKO loss to Dominick
Reyes at UFC 310
this past December. However, he now wants to compete once again in
the hopes of a better retirement fight.