Power Slap 11: Full Card Recap
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Power Slap 11 went down this past Thursday, January 30th from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was headlined by two title bouts, one in the super heavyweight division. The other, in the light heavyweight division. The rest of the card was jam-packed with great matchups and plenty of chaos.
Littered with highlight-reel knockouts, back-and-forth brawls, and a bevy of celebrities, Power Slap brought the heat to the desert. With UFC also in town, Dana White and company had some fun providing the combat world with Thursday entertainment.
Moving forward, there are big matchups on the horizon. The next event takes place on March 7th at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Super Heavyweight Championship
Da Crazy Hawaiian (C) vs. Dumpling 2
The top of the card was a rematch between two behemoths who weighed a combined 741 pounds. After a controversial decision in their last match, each man set to claim redemption and take home the belt. The champion, Da Crazy Hawaiian, came into this match 70 pounds lighter than their previous match. He looked good and brought his regular energy. But, he was facing a man on a mission.
His opponent, Dumpling, is generally a very reserved man but came into this match with a different style. With a shaved head and a much louder mouth, Dumpling looked like a new competitor. Throughout the match, he would mock Da Crazy Hawaiian’s antics and continuously landed cleaner strikes.
The fight started with a few fouls for a club and some flinching. Other than the fouls, there was a clear difference in the Hawaiian’s power. Despite moving quicker, it seemed his power was not the same as it was before. Dumpling did not do anything special but he landed clean, consistent strikes. Neither man hit the canvas but Da Crazy Hawaiian did stumble at points. For Dumpling, he won most of the rounds. The judges scored it 50-44, 50-44, and 48-46 giving the belt to the challenger.
After the match, Da Crazy Hawaiian mentioned that he wanted to continue his health journey and potentially drop down to heavyweight. If he can lose the weight, this could set up a super fight with current heavyweight champion, Damien Dibbell. For Dumpling, a third matchup with Da Crazy Hawaiian could come down the line. But, a fresh matchup would be best for the division. How about his opponent’s brother, Da Hawaiian Hitman? Or even fellow Hawaiian, Kalani Vakameilalo?
Light Heavyweight Championship
Wolverine (C) vs. The Mechanic
Entering this fight, “Wolverine” Ron Bata stepped onto the slap stage with his cowboy boots on for what may have been his final walk. He entered this match facing the number one contender, Vernon “The Mechanic” Cathey. Vernon entered with a 3-fight winning streak, all by way of KO.
Both veterans are trailblazers in the sport and entered Power Slap during the inaugural season of Road to the Title. As they stepped onto the stage, you could sense the tensions rising. Cathey stepped up to slap first and landed his traditional power slap but did not land it accurately. “Wolverine” argued for a clubbing foul but his beard may have hid the landing spot.
Once it was declared a clean slap, Wolverine stepped up to the table to take his first strike. But, Bata needed far less than the full five rounds. He made his call for, “right hand on 3,” and took his measure. By the time the slap landed, the match was over. Cathey hit the ground and was knocked out with the most vicious slap to date in the promotion.
The Mechanic was on the ground for a while. Once Cathey got back to his feet, both he and Bata showed great sportsmanship. After the match, Wolverine seemingly announced his retirement, leaving the light heavyweight division without of a champion.
Luke “Lethal Strike” Simonds seems like a shoo-in for the opportunity to slap for the belt. Possible against Austin “Turp Daddy Slim” Turpin.
Women’s Featherweight
Sheena Bathory vs. Jackie Cataline
The main card started with two high-profile matchups. The featured bout of the night was a rematch between two women at featherweight. It was billed as a grudge match, and it certainly fit. Sheena “The Hungarian Hurricane” Bathory took on Jackie “The Hybrid” Cataline after their first match ended by DQ.
Cataline entered this match coming off a loss, whereas Bathory had not competed since their first showdown. The time off for Bathory clearly paid dividends as she took all of Cataline’s strikes and won the match on the scorecards. Despite a great first slap for Bathory, it was a foul for clubbing. Cataline got revenge as she returned fire. But, Bathory was not phased. When Bathory returned, she put Cataline on the canvas.
Once back on her feet, Cataline’s power was zapped and it was clear that Bathory was taking over. Once the decision was announced, Bathory stated that moving back home to Hungary was the difference maker as she could spend time with her family. The motivation was clear and a women’s featherweight title match may be in her future. Let’s see Bathory vs. Robyn Wereshchuk next, since she beat Cataline in prior to this match.
Super Heavyweight
Kalani Vakameilalo vs. Danie van Heerdan
Another massive matchup between two top-ranked super heavyweights opened the card. The men weighed in at over 700 pounds combined. Vakameilalo, the former NFL player took on the South African native. Both had lost to Da Crazy Hawaiian in the past. So, a win in this match would set them up for another shot at the title.
As the match began, Vakameilalo struck first and fouled. Danie returned fire and rocked Vakameilalo who displayed great heart and toughness getting his wits back right away. The match continues as Vakameilalo gets gifted an extra strike due to a flinch from his opponent lifting his shoulders. The attrition was clear as the Hawaiian landed cleanly.
The flinching didn’t stop as Vakameilalo gave a foul away as well. But, the damage was already done. In the third round, Vakameilalo put van Heerdan on the canvas in what was nearly a KO victory. Danie displayed his toughness as he struck one last time, but his power was no longer there.
Vakameilalo ends up on top winning two of the three rounds. Both men had visible damage on their right cheek. Kalani instantly puts himself back into title contention. Danie takes a minor setback, but he will see another high profile matchup in the future.
The Prelims
The featured prelim hosted an instant middleweight classic between Brandon “The Ripper” Rhodes and Ke’ali’i “The Chief” Kanekoa. Kanekoa had the first strike and landed a blatant club on Brandon’s neck. Rhodes hit the ground hard and was dazed. He took the full two minutes of recovery time and despite hesitation from his coach and former opponent Brandon Bordeaux, he told the referee and doctor he wanted to continue competing. Much to everyone’s surprise, the doctor cleared him and the match continued.
As he returned to his feet, Rhodes took his first strike and nearly put Kanekoa on the ground. A good recovery led to another massive strike that saw Rhodes hit the ground. This time with a clean strike. Rhodes remarkably recovered and got up before the 10-second count. At this point, he was visibly out of it and took another quality swing at his opponent. In Kanekoa’s third strike, he landed clean on the chin and put Rhodes out for good.
Interestingly, Dana White entered the stage and shook Rhodes’ hand saying, “You are a tough mo********er,” after the match concluded. It will go down as an extreme showcase of power and toughness, so Power Slap brass will certainly not forget it. Both men should return in big spots soon.
The fight previously was a matchup between Darren “Tarantula” Godfrey and Merlis “Action” Muusikus. The Europeans brought the energy and seemed focused on making a highlight. Muusikus struck first and landed well, despite Godfrey getting away with a minor flinch. As Godfrey made his return to the table, the former boxer stated, “right hand on 1”, took his measure and delivered a firecracker ending the night. A future matchup between Godfrey and Kanekoa would make a ton of sense in the middleweight division.
In the second bout of the night, we saw heavyweights square off. Wes “Boom” Mena, a celebrity bodyguard, defended his heavyweight ranking against the returning Devin “Big Jinxx” Jenkins. The crowd supported Mena as he entered the stage and the foreshadowing was clear. With the first strike of the match, he took his time and landed a KO shot. “Boom” will have a massive matchup for a higher ranking soon enough.
The opening fight of the night came at light heavyweight between Luke “Lethal Strike” Simonds and Garrett “Flaco” Blakeslee. Simonds came in with a new look, sporting blonde hair, whereas Blakeslee looked to be in great shape. The match starts with a massive slap from Simonds who misplaced his strike a little high. When Blakeslee returned with a strike of his own, he nearly put Luke down.
Simonds survives and recovers, but it did not look good for the bodybuilder. Once Simonds got to the stage though, his energy returned and he was locked in. After his measure and wind-up, Simonds delivered his signature “Lethal Strike” and forced Blakeslee to the ground. He tried to get up, but the referee made a smart stoppage to end the match. Simonds protects his undefeated record, as well as his ranking.
Full Card Results
Power Slap 11 was a massive success. Many athletes showed evolution in their game and the divisions received a shake-up in the rankings. The door is now open for big matchups in the future.
- Luke “Lethal Strike” Simonds def. Garrett “Flaco” Blakesslee via 2nd-Round KO
- Wes “Boom” Mena def. Devin “Big Jinxx” Jenkins via 1st-Round TKO
- Darren “The Tarantula” Godfrey def. Merlis “Action” Muusikus via 1st-Round KO
- Ke’ali’i “The Chief” Kanekoa def. Brandon “The Ripper” Rhodes via 3rd-Round KO
- Kalani “Toko” Vakameilalo def. Danie “The Pitbull” Van Heerden via Unanimous Decision (29-26, 28-26 x2)
- Sheena “The Hungarian Hurricane” Bathory def. Jackie “The Hybrid” Cataline via Unanimous Decision (28-26 x3)
- Ron “Wolverine” Bata def. Vern “The Mechanic” Cathey via 1st-Round KO
- Vasilii “Dumpling” Kamotskii def. Da Crazy Hawaiian via Unanimous Decision (50-44 x2, 48-46)
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