Dana White's slap-fighting league has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a rival outfit that built a parody format around smacking backsides instead of faces. Power Slap attorneys demanded in October that the Lingerie Fighting Championships stop using the name Power Spank, a scored spinoff that debuted at an LFC event in Clearwater, Florida, in October.
A Parody Format Draws Legal Attention
Power Spank is billed as a parody of Power Slap, the fighting league founded and co-owned by White, who also serves as the UFC's CEO, according to USA Today. Where Power Slap pits competitors against each other in open-handed face slaps that have sometimes caused opponents to lose consciousness, Power Spank instead features women slapping each other on the backside. The cease-and-desist letter marks the first legal action involving White and Power Slap, the outlet reported.
The Lingerie Fighting Championships, based in Las Vegas, is expected to disclose the matter publicly on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to comply with laws governing public companies, per the same account. The company provided details about the dispute to MMA Junkie on Monday, and UFC senior vice president of communications Lenee Breckenridge said White was traveling and unavailable to comment, telling the outlet, “White is traveling for the next few days, so I don't have him available, unfortunately.”
LFC's CEO Vows to Fight Back
Lingerie Fighting Championships CEO Shaun Donnelly said the company would defend its right and every American's right to free speech, even if the fight goes all the way to the Supreme Court, the report notes. USA Today Sports said it was unable to reach the Supreme Court's public information office for comment. Donnelly has not publicly announced an estimated value for Power Spank, even as the article estimates Power Slap's own value has climbed to $750 million — up from the $450 million figure White cited in 2024.
Donnelly framed the new format as a response to a real injury suffered by one of his own fighters. An LFC athlete competed in a Power Slap match and was hospitalized afterward, sidelining her from an upcoming LFC event, according to a company announcement tied to a September LFC press release about the injury. Donnelly said Power Spank is the company's answer to that injury, calling it a statement rather than a gimmick and arguing combat sports can be bold without being reckless, adding that Power Spank can draw crowds without injuries.
Costumes, Characters and a $500 Prize
LFC announced the launch of Power Spank on Sept. 28, describing it as a new competitive combat sport format positioned as a lighthearted, safety-conscious alternative, scored around technique, showmanship, costume and character. The format made its debut Oct. 11 in Clearwater ahead of LFC49: Shine On, drawing an eight-woman tournament field that included MMA fighters, exotic dancers and adult film stars, per USA Today's reporting.
An exotic dancer known as Bebe took home the $500 grand prize when the tournament wrapped. Bella Madisyn, the reigning Booty Camp champ in the LFC who reportedly trained in kickboxing and taekwondo before moving into MMA according to LFC, was also among the competitors. Power Spank has reportedly produced reddened and sore skin among participants but no reported knockouts, a contrast the outlet drew with Power Slap's history of competitors being knocked unconscious.
Part of a Broader Legal Pattern for White
The cease-and-desist is the latest in a string of legal matters involving White since he took over the UFC, which have included class-action suits over allegedly suppressed fighter pay and a lawsuit challenging ESPN's UFC pay-per-view prices, according to the report. Separately, a low-confidence study published on PubMed examining slap-fighting bouts found observable signs of suspected concussion in 79.1% of reviewed fights, averaging 1.41 signs per fight. That data pertains to the study's own reviewed bouts and has not been tied to Power Spank or its participants.
