Power Slap brought its first Texas event to United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock on Thursday, September 17, and the main event ended in a way most fight fans never see. Ron“Wolverine”Bata retained his Light Heavyweight Championship after Logan Greenhalgh was disqualified for flinching in Round 5. The belt stays with Bata, but the finish gave critics plenty of ammunition.
The rest of the card had some recognizable names. Welterweight champion Cole Young defended his title with a first-round TKO over Andrew Provost. Former UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett won his Power Slap debut by unanimous decision over Jake Logan, then apologized for not delivering a knockout. Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jake Hager, known to wrestling fans as Jack Swagger, lost to Johnny Magna after a third-round doctor stoppage. Dana White chose the Texas Tech campus arena intentionally, hoping to add energy to Lubbock ahead of the Red Raiders’football weekend against Houston.
The event adds a controversial new entry to Lubbock’s list of hosted sports and entertainment, and it raises an interesting question for our corner of the country. Lawton sits right down the road from that kind of game-day culture, with Fort Sill families and high school football Fridays all our own. So what do you think? Should slap fighting be treated like a real sport, or is it just a spectacle passing through town? Let us know in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.