LAS VEGAS – Canadian Eddie (Spaghetti) Brahimir and American Branden (The Butcher) Bordeaux settled for a majority draw Friday in their middleweight rematch at “Power Slap 6.”
The contest at the Durango Casino & Resort went all three rounds with the judges scoring the contest 28-28, 28-28, 29-27.
The brainchild of UFC president Dana White, Power Slap looks akin to arm-wrestling at first glance. But instead of locking hands, competitors take turns delivering open-handed slaps to their opponent’s face in a three-round contest with one blow per round.
Sometimes the slap-receiver doesn’t get up in time to continue. If each competitor can absorb three blows, it goes to the judges.
White calls it “the ultimate test of toughness.” But it’s not for everyone.
Brahimir, a chiselled 26-year-old from Caledonia, Ont., is the lone Canadian currently on the Power Slap roster.
Friday’s card drew former NBA star Charles Barkley, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady and former UFC fighter Donald (Cowboy) Cerrone, among other celebrities.
Power Slap’s YouTube channel has 1.61 million subscribers with 4.3 million followers on its TikTok account.
Competitors wear a mouthpiece and put cotton wool in their ears, to avoid having their eardrums blown out. The person getting hit stands dead straight, holding a swimming-style noodle behind their back to keep their hands out of the way.
Bordeaux (2-0-1) lost a point for so-called clubbing with his second strike. He buckled Brahimir (1-1-1) with his final blow.
Power Slap calls itself “the world’s premier slap-fighting promotion.” Founded by White, former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and veteran reality TV producer Craig Piligian, in partnership with the UFC, it is regulated and sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the California State Athletic Commission.
Power Slap has drawn on the “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV format that served the UFC so well and created a television series.
Season 2 drew 24 competitors, including Brahimir, whose day job is as a CNC (computer numerically controlled) operator at a carpentry millwork shop.
The five-11, 184-pound Brahimir lost to Bordeaux in Episode 5 in a three-round affair, but did enough to be kept on the show as an alternate. Brahimir got a second chance in Episode 9 when he stopped American Amir Nuriddeen with his first blow. That earned him a spot on Friday’s card.
Bordeaux went on to beat (Slappy) Joe Landman to secure his spot.
The 30-year-old Bordeaux comes by his nickname honestly. He and his brother own a mobile slaughtering operation in Michigan.
Bordeaux is ranked fourth among middleweight contenders. Brahimir is No. 6.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2024
