Dana White built Power Slap differently. Instead of chasing traditional media deals, he revealed in an interview with Boardroom that he handed the keys to social media influencers — and it worked.
What We Know: Power Slap now generates roughly a billion social media views per month. The promotion secured more sponsorship revenue in its first two years than the UFC did in its first ten, according to White. Furthermore, it has amassed over 22 million combined followers across major platforms, with total views surpassing 13 billion. Those figures represent a remarkable launch for a sport most Americans had never heard of before 2023.
What They Said: Dana White on his approach with social media influencers: “I invited all the influencers to come [to Power Slap]. If you had over 5 million followers, you got invited to the event.”
Dana White speaks on the leverage across his entire portfolio: “I control the UFC, WWE, PBR, Power Slap, Nitro Circus, SLS Skate League. I have all these brands, and I let these kids come in, and do your thing. Create content, and yeah, it ended up being a complete home run.”
Dana White on the outcome of this strategy: “Power Slap is the most successful thing I’ve ever been a part of in such a short amount of time. The first two years it had more sponsorship than the UFC did in 10 years. Power Slap is a beast.”
What Remains Unclear: While White credits the influence that his approach brought to the promotion, how long can it last? In an era where audiences constantly crave the next big thing. It is fair to wonder how long viewers will stay invested in content that rarely changes beyond the competitors themselves. While sponsorship interest may be strong, no major distributor outside of Rumble through March 2026 and YouTube has rights agreement.
What It Means: You have to wonder whether this sport can survive if a competitor fails to recover from a slap. The promotion thrives on shock value, but White removing it from Rumble could signal what lies ahead. Make no mistake, Power Slap does attract an audience. But reaching the mainstream level of other combat sports remains a challenge.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
