Paige VanZant made her Power Slap debut last night and secured her first combat sports victory in almost 5 years since leaving the UFC. However, the win did not come without its fair share of controversy around the result.
Taking on Christine Wolmarans at Power Slap 8 on Friday, Van Zant (30) looked phenomenal in her debut and won quite comfortably in the three-round match. She even scored a knockdown in the second and third rounds. VanZant was given a foul from the referee in the third and final round, giving Wolmarans another attempt to beat the combat sports veteran, but in vain.
After everything was said and done, judges scored the contest 30-25, all in favor of Paige VanZant for a comfortable victory.
Fans accuse Paige VanZant of receiving Dana White privilege
Little did Tony Ferguson know that when he used the phrase “Dana White privilege” it would become so famous that fans would use it every time they felt a certain fighter was being favored over the other.
That’s what happened on Friday as Paige VanZant seemingly got away with flinching on multiple occasions during her Power Slap debut. While a foul was called during the third round, fans felt that the former UFC star flinched in almost every round of the match.
Sitting at the commentary table, Michael Bisping even argued that “slight flinching” shouldn’t be called a penalty. This brings us to the argument on how penalties for flinching are judged in Power Slap and to what extent can a fighter get away with it.
According to the Power Slap rules, if a Defender flinches three or more times in a single round, he/she is disqualified immediately. Also, if the Defender flinches four or more times during the match, it leads to a disqualification.
What do you make of Paige VanZant’s performance in her Power Slap debut? Do let us know in the comments section.