Power Slap’s Jon Kennedy becomes first competitor to be suspended after testing positive for cocaine

Power Slap light-heavyweight Jon Kennedy has made history as the first-ever fighter to be suspended.

The experimental slapping league started by Dana White last year has suffered controversy after controversy. Before the show could even air, the promoter was seen slapping his wife in a nightclub in Mexico. White later declined to punish himself, stating that his punishment is that people have lost respect for him. TBS later postponed the show’s debut by a week due to the incident.

As if that wasn’t enough, the league itself has come under heavy fire. The reason being that many are concerned about head trauma in the league. While other combat sports have resulted in injuries and deaths, defense is literally illegal in Power Slap. Hence the added concern for its combatants.

To add credibility to the league, Dana White and Power Slap quickly got sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They established clearer rules, allowed for the UFC Apex to be used as a location, and told the company to “make sure no one dies”. Seems simple enough.

To this point, the company hasn’t made the jump to live-televised events but plans to later this year. As of now, the show has aired on TBS, with all the bouts having been pre-recorded. While the show hasn’t had great ratings to this point, they have now made history.

Granted, it’s not great history. Jon Kennedy currently competes in the light-heavyweight division, and boasts a 2-2 professional record. In his most recent outing, ‘Slap Daddy’ was finished by John Davis in February. However, the fight itself took place in November.

Following that fight, Kennedy tested positive for cocaine. As first reported by MMA Fighting, he’s been suspended for nine months for the positive drug test.

In the process, he became the first ever Power Slap competitor to be suspended. Along with his suspension, Kennedy will have to pay a $150 fine along with $326 in prosecution fees.

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