Dana White has not had a great start to 2023, and it’s about to worsen.
White’s newly formed Power Slap League has been removed from the TBS programming schedule ahead of their expected launch on Jan. 11.
The show was supposed to air next week. However, a new schedule for Jan. 11. doesn’t feature Power Slap League on its listing.
Jeremy Botter was the first to report the news on Twitter.
UFC President Dana White Power Slap League in jeopardy
A Warner Media source tells me Dana White’s Power Slap series is no longer listed on any internal programming schedules and all ad spots have been dropped. The death of the deal, I’m told, is basically just paperwork at this point.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) January 5, 2023
The cancellation comes after a video was released by TMZ of White slapping his wife, Anne, during a heated exchange on New Year’s Eve. The uncomfortable footage showed White grabbing his wife’s arm as she tried to walk away. This resulted in Anne punching White. The UFC boss then retaliated by striking his wife, followed by the pair being separated.
After the video was released to the public, White hasn’t hidden away from his actions but has addressed them rather quickly.
White issues statement following altercation with wife
“I’m one of the guys, you’ve heard me say for years, there’s never, ever an excuse for guy to put his hands on a woman, and now here I am on TMZ talking about it,” White said. “My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years; we’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. We’ve obviously been through some s*** together, we’ve got three kids, and this is one of those situations that’s horrible, I’m embarrassed, but it’s also one of those situations that right now, we’re more concerned about our kids.
“We have three kids and obviously since the video popped up, we’ve shown the kids the video. We’re more focused on our family right now. People are going to have opinions on this, and most of the people’s opinions would be right, especially in my case. You don’t put your hands on a woman ever. My wife and I love each other, we’ve been together for a very long time. We’ve known each other since we were very little, and this is just one of those unfortunate situations.”
Quotes via MMA Fighting
There has still been no statement from Endeavour on the incident or if White will be faced with a punishment.
After teasing numerous promos of his newly founded Power Slap League, White had the intention of making the sport go viral with a show inspired by The Ultimate Fighter. The Nevada State Athletic Commission allowed slap-fighting to take place within the state and agreed with White’s plans.
After the commission approved, White announced the deal with TBS to broadcast his new project at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Now it remains to be seen if TBS have completely cancelled their agreement or have delayed the debut launch of Power Slap League following the recent incident.
What’s your take on TBS removing Dana White’s Power Slap League? Let us know in the comments!