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Dana White’s Power Slap League already received a lot of criticism since its inception but now its reputation has received another hit as many athletes from the league have recently been found guilty of using banned substances such as steroids and narcotics. The league has been licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the athletes found to be doping have been temporarily suspended by the NSAC.
The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously to approve the regulation of slap fighting in 2022 with Power Slap serving as the main promotion with events typically held at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
NSAC chairman Anthony Marnell stated, "Is there like a big bowl of performance-enhancing drugs down there somewhere that I don’t know about? I haven’t seen this in quite a while. I didn’t know you needed to use steroids to slap but I guess we’re going to find out."
Among the list of athletes, who have complaints against them, TJ Thomas was suspended after testing positive for clomiphene, a hormone, and metabolic modulator. Jay Riviera was suspended after testing positive for GW-1516, sulfone and sulfoxide, hormone, and metabolic modulators. GW 1516 is a synthetically manufactured Cardarine with some harmful effects on your body.
One of the other fighters to be banned is Chris Thomas, who was suspended after testing positive for Buprenorphine, a narcotic, and its metabolite norbuprenorphine. Other athletes include Andrew Provost, Isaiah Quinones, and Frank Holland.
In February, Jon Kennedy, a 37-year-old MMA fighter from Iowa, was the first slap fighter to be suspended for illegal drug use. Kennedy was suspended by the NSAC after returning a positive drug test following a Power Slap League bout. The competition already had a bad reputation as people were concerned with the health risks surrounding the sport and this controversy has made the situation worse.
