South Africa’s Danie “Pitbull” van Heerden competed in the super heavyweight division at Power Slap 9 which took place on Thursday, 24 October at the Space42 Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Van Heerden, who is ranked third in the world, took on seventh-ranked American Eviahn “The Waterboy” Scott over three rounds.
Van Heerden defeated Scott by disqualification (striker fouls) in Round 2.
Meanwhile, Power Slap Super Heavyweight champion, Da Crazy Hawaiian, defended his crown against No 1-ranked super heavyweight, Vasilii “Dumpling” Kamotskii after the match ended in a majority draw.
In the co-main event, a new middleweight king was crowned as Isaih “Pretty Boy” Quinones knocked out John “The Machine” Davis in the third round.
Power Slap, which was founded in 2022, is an American slap fighting promotion company owned by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief executive officer Dana White.
Meanwhile, as reported by The South African website, Van Heerden lost his title fight at Power Slap 8 in late June this year.
Van Heerden took on champion “Da Crazy Hawaiian” Layne Viernes for the super heavyweight belt, but lost their five-round fight via unanimous decision in June.
Van Heerden, who fights out of Pretoria, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 265 pounds (120kg).
Power Slap 8 was held Fontainebleau Las Vegas in ‘Sin City’.
Van Heerden has a boxing and MMA background, including time spent in the EFC. His MMA record reads 23 fights, 15 wins and eight defeats.
Power Slap rules
Power Slap, which has been licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, uses rules similar to those established by other slap fighting leagues.
After a coin toss to decide who goes first, the first striker has a time limit of 60 seconds to deliver an open-handed slap to the opponent.
Slaps must be below the eye but above the chin, without leading with the palm such that all hand to face contact takes place at the same time.
Those being slapped may not flinch, raise their shoulder or tuck in their chins.
After being slapped, the slapped competitor then has 60 seconds to recover and get back into position before it’s their turn to slap.
Fights which don’t end in a knock out and go three rounds go to the judges’ decision, using a 10-point system with judging based on slap strikers’ effectiveness as well as the slap receivers’ reaction and recovery time.
Participants are separated by weight and gender.
Danie van Heerden Q&A
When and why did you start training to be a Slap Fighter? May 2022 was the first Slap Fight in South Africa (SASFA). I got hooked, as I love competition, and this is not for the faint-hearted
What does fighting in Power Slap mean for you and your career? This is sports on a world-class platform and you’re never too old or heavy for anything. I want to prove to myself that whatever I put my mind to, I can and will come out on top
What are your ultimate goals in fighting? Becoming the champ and to be a household name and role model to youngsters
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? I wanted to commit suicide
What’s the best thing you’ve ever done? Not giving up in that dark time
Is there anyone you’d like to slap fight against? I would love to slap Logan Paul – easy win
Occupation/past occupation(s): Self-employed (appliance repair company), private security protection
Interview via official Power Slap website
