Dana White’s Power Slap League television debut was delayed by one week, less than four days after White admitted to a physical altercation with his wife on New Year’s Eve.
A UFC official told ESPN that the Power Slap League will debut on January 18th on TBS, instead of its initially scheduled launch on January 11th. The UFC did not provide further details behind the delay. The UFC’s Instagram account posted a promotional video on the competition/reality show, “Power Slap: Road to the Title” on Thursday, with a set air date of January 18th.
TBS has not commented on the New Year’s Eve altercation between White and his wife. Neither ESPN, the UFC’s broadcast partner, nor Endeavor, the UFC’s parent company, have commented.
White, 53, publicly apologized during an interview with TMZ on Monday. Video emerged of White slapping his wife, Ann, across the face after she slapped him in the VIP area of a nightclub in Cabo, Mexico.
“You’ve heard me say over the years, ‘There’s never any excuse for a man to get his hands on a woman,'” White told TMZ, “and now I’m here at TMZ talking about it.” “I literally don’t make any excuses for this thing, ever. It’s never happened before. It’s the first time it’s happened. People are going to say what they’re going to say, and that’s what they’re going to say. Whatever people say is deserved. I deserve it.”
Ann released a similar statement to TMZ also describing the incident as isolated. The two have been married for nearly 30 years and reside in Las Vegas.
The Power Slap League is a new venture for White, who has rejoined his former business partners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. The Fertitta brothers bought the UFC in 2001 and installed Wyatt as president. The brothers sold the company to Endeavor Talent for $4 billion in 2016, with White staying on as president.
The competition consists of two people exchanging slaps in the face for three rounds, or shorter if a knockout occurs. The Nevada State Athletic Commission licensed the league in October, meaning it is an organized athletic competition in the state.
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