Everyone knows a white bald man with a ginormous connection to combat sports and an electric presence. Joe Rogan or UFC head honcho Dana White likely remains the first to pop in people’s minds. A while back, another white, bald, robustious man came into the mix – Howie Mandel! The UFC CEO’s interaction with Mandel became a topic of much discussion on the internet.
His infamous walkout from the Howie Mandel Does Stuff Podcast was an immediate sensation that took netizens ablaze. At that time, White explained his abrupt and controversial exit as his disdain for social media rounds. During a recent podcast sitdown, the hosts quipped about him sustaining longer than his “Mandel walkout.” However, he revealed a new angle to it all.
I did the Sage Steele Podcast, where she called me Joe …[laughs] So…Now, the studio is owned by Howie Mandel. …Howie Mandel walks in…and this fu*king guy…He owns these social media companies and a lot of stuff. Howie Mandel owns a lot of sh*t people don’t realize…so we’re walking through stuff and he goes ‘Would you do me a favor?…would you come in, get up, and walk out of my podcast?’ I go ‘I would be fu*king honored to’ cuz I’m so sick of doing podcasts…
Dana White via Andrew Schulz’s FLAGRANT Podcast (@OfficialFlagrant)
Sage Steele, former ESPN co-host of the noon (ET) SportsCenter, would later welcome Dana White to her The Sage Steele Show. In a quirky turn of events, she ended up calling him Joe Rogan. Mandel would Gate crash and insert himself into the situation as he owned the studio. White and Mandel would even reminisce on being mistaken for each other occasionally.
The duo have maintained an amicable friendship despite the walkout. White even goes on to divulge that the viral moment was the host’s idea. Given that Mandel owns the studio, Steele’s flub on misnaming White might have been his plan as well. It goes to show his brilliance in inciting viral moments. On those grounds, Power Slap owner White isn’t far behind.
No White Lies: Dana White White places staggering Power Slap worth billions of views
Dana White’s combat sports culture side project — Power Slap, is a premier slap-fighting organization under the Nevada State Athletic Commission sanctions. During a recent appearance on “The Pete and Sebastian Show” Podcast – EP 603, he mentioned its value to be near $750 million in just over 15 months. He often douses the United States-based slap-fighting product as the most-watched spectacle on the planet.
Dana White. Power Slap (Source: IMAGO/Instagram)According to the UFC CEO, Power Slap is untouchable regarding sports ratings and mainstream viewership. An IG reel of Sheena Bathory blowing a raspberry kiss in the inaugural Women’s Power Slap surpassed Taylor Swift‘s “The Blank Space” reel by 10 million views. However, he now places the viewership at billions!
What if I did this, made it an actual sport, got it sanctioned, and put good production value behind it? The answer is fu*king’ billions of views. Billions of views globally…We started this thing 15 months ago, right? Right now, on YouTube, we got more subscribers than NHL, NSL, NASCAR, PGA, Barstool Sports. We have over a billion YouTube views. Eight of the top 12 largest YouTube shorts against other major sports are Power Slap…Four of the top five largest YouTube shorts on UFC’s channel.
Dana White via Andrew Schulz’s “FLAGRANT” Podcast (@OfficialFlagrant)
White often went on to voice Power Slap as #1 In All Of Sports. He puts it even above the NFL, NBA, NHL, and F-1 combined. A true claim or not, the success of White’s brainchild has remained undeniable. Many believe White has inflated numbers to promote the product. However, White remains extremely content with the numbers garnered by Power Slap.
