Paige VanZant’s second Power Slap match ended in a draw against Chelsea Dodson after she was penalized for an illegal blow, which cost her a point and ultimately the victory.
Paige VanZant didn’t quite get the outcome she was hoping for in her second Power Slap outing. The UFC and BKFC vet faced a penalty for an illegal strike during round two of her match against Chelsea Dodson.
The 30-year-old, who made her slap fighting debut with a unanimous win in June, ended up with a draw against Dodson. Chelsea, by the way, is married to former UFC title contender John Dodson. Paige got docked a point for “clubbing,” which means any hit that’s not a proper slap on the legal target area. Weird rule, huh?
In this instance, more of VanZant’s arm hit Dodson’s face than her hand did—hence the penalty. That one-point deduction put Paige in a tricky spot. She needed either a knockdown or knockout to clinch the win in the third round. Sadly, neither happened. Although she did take both the first and third rounds on the scorecards.
But that pesky point deduction in round two cost her the match after all blows were exchanged without anyone hitting the canvas. The result? A 28-28 tie across all three judges’ scorecards. Yep, it was declared a draw.
VanZant didn’t chat right after the match. But remember, she said post-debut that she’d definitely be back for more Power Slap action.
“Initially, it was like, ‘I just gotta do this once—bucket list stuff—I wanna try Power Slap and prove myself,'” she told MMA Fighting in July after her first go-round. “But then I thought, ‘Wow, that was actually pretty fun.'”
Will Thursday’s match lead to another appearance for VanZant in Power Slap? Only time will tell!