LAS VEGAS – If UFC president Dana White approaches Alex Caceres about participating in his slap fighting league, he just might do it.
Caceres, who meets Julian Erosa in a featherweight bout Saturday at UFC Fight Night 216 at the UFC Apex, told reporters Wednesday that he’d be open to a move to Power Slap.
“I have considered it,” Caceres said during UFC Fight Night 216 media day. “I think it’s hilarious, it’s cool. I don’t know, it’s funny. It’s pain tolerance. I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s mostly about. I figure I have pretty big hands. I know I’m like one of the only 145ers who wears large gloves in the UFC. I think I could be pretty decent at slapping somebody.”
Caceres apparently hadn’t considered criticisms of slap fighting raised by doctors and health professionals.
“What are the criticisms?” he asked.
Chief among them is the nature of the competition, which calls for repeated full-forced, open-hand slaps to the face between two opponents. This led one doctor, Brian Sutterer, to deem slap fighting “as risky of a sport as possible” for brain injuries. He takes issue with participants not being able to defend themselves, unlike in MMA, and can’t understand why any athletic commission would sanction slap fighting as the Nevada Athletic Commission did to accommodate Power Slap events at the UFC Apex.
When it was mentioned that slap fighting isn’t good for brain health, Caceres responded, “Neither is smoking cigarettes, neither is working in factory plants, neither is eating bad food or getting punched in the head for a living like I do. I mean, a lot of things are dangerous. Sitting still is dangerous. Being too sedentary can mess up your brain. So, yeah, take your chances. It’s your life.”
Caceres (19-13 MMA, 14-11 UFC) hopes to get back on track vs. Erosa (28-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) after losing a unanimous decision to Sodiq Yusuff in his most recent bout, which snapped a five-fight winning streak.
You can watch his full UFC Fight Night 216 media day session in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
