Local man to compete in Power Slap 4
A Tahlequah man is making his mark ahead of the nation’s latest growing sport, slap fighting, wherein two opponents strike one another across the face.
Wesley Drain is currently ranked the No. 2 middleweight striker in the world, and he’s slated to compete in Power Slap 4, Wednesday, Aug. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Power Slap is a slap fighting promotion company that is owned by Dana White, the president of Ultimate Fighting Championship. The sport itself is where opponents take turns slapping one another with an open hand.
“It’s different then a lot of other things for sure and it’s not boxing, it’s not [mixed martial arts] and honestly that’s why I started doing it in the first place was to get a step up and might get a name. I always try and be the best in anything and I want to show the world, personally this is what I’m doing it,” Drain said.
There are three to five rounds while there are two referees and three judges. An opponent has up to 60 seconds to recover and respond. Scoring is based on the damage and effectiveness of the slap, and defender reaction and recovery.
“I’d say it’s picked up quite a bit since its first started just with the dropping of the show and it’s getting million of views every month,” Drain said. “I think it’s really rocketed from when it started to now.”
The combat sport comes with its fair share of controversy as concerns arise to the health and safety of fighters.
“This is a great platform because [it’s] being broadcasted mainstream around the world and there’s a lot of Americans that hate on this, they think it’s really cringy,” Drain said. “People around the world, not in America, think it’s the greatest thing ever.”
Drain said he’s been involved in MMA for about six years by being a part of wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“I started back when I was 20 years old and I trained for six months at a basic gym in Tahlequah,” he said. “A few years down the road, I saw someone post a deal on Facebook saying there was a trainer in Tahlequah, and I just showed up and just went with it and ran with it.”
Becoming a self-made millionaire and impacting the world in a positive way is Drain’s ultimate goal he has within the next five years.
“My ultimate endgame is to change the world, be a world influencer. Just [helping] people is the whole reason I am doing this in the first place. I have kids and I don’t want them to inherit this world with all the problems. If there is something I can do to fix it, I’m going to damn sure try,” he said.
The Power Slap League can have up to 30 fighters and winners can collect $2,000 to $10,000 per match.
Comments