‘My household weren’t stunned after I advised them I wish to slap folks for cash’

On Nov 29, 2024

Power Slap sensation Franciska Szabo has revealed that her family didn’t even blink when she announced her unusual career choice – earning a living by slapping people in the face.

The 33-year-old Hungarian, also known as Sheena Bathory, has been making moves with Power Slap, an American promotion owned by UFC president Dana White. The unique sport involves competitors taking turns to try and knock out their opponent with an open-handed strike to the face.

Established in 2022, Power Slap has rapidly risen to become the leading organisation in its niche of combat sports, even gaining sanction from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. A coin toss determines who strikes first, with the initial competitor given 60 seconds to deliver an open-handed blow to their opponent’s face, landing above the chin but below the eye.

The rules stipulate that the striker cannot lead with the palm. On the receiving end, competitors are not permitted to flinch, raise their shoulders, dodge the strike or tuck their chins. They are then given 60 seconds to recover and prepare their own slap. Judges score the bouts using a 10-point system, grading competitors on effectiveness, reaction and recovery time – although most matches typically conclude with a knockout.

Szabo, a former judo athlete, revealed that she was initially drawn to the “super-violent” nature of an exhibition competition. In an exclusive chat with Mirror Fighting, she shared: “So I was a very big fan of pro wrestling, so that’s why I made my move to the United States.

“I started doing some pro wrestling shows, and then Power Slap crossed my way. They invited me to the exhibition competition, and I was like, ‘hmm, that’s actually very interesting, you know? It sounds like super violent’ – so I was like, ‘maybe this is something that I’m looking for’. I wasn’t thinking about it long before I accepted this invitation, and yeah, I just stayed in this industry, and I really like it.”

Power Slap has grown over the past couple of years

Coming from a family deeply rooted in judo, with her father coaching her in martial arts from a young age, Szabo’s decision to venture into the unique world of Power Slap wasn’t a surprise. She added: “Actually, they were not really surprised because they know I like the big challenges.

“I like everything that involves power and strength because I wasn’t only competing in judo. When I was a kid, I was competing in track and field, I did handball, I tried out multiple sports you know? So I’m just enjoying competing and they know the more challenging and the more dangerous it is, the more desire I have. So they absolutely supported it.”

Slap sensation Szabo has been tearing up the Power Slap league with a smashing 3-0-0 record, including taking down Kortney Olson, Christine Wolmarans and Jackie Cataline with two of those wins being jaw-dropping knockouts. Despite the chatter around low pay scale for the slap fights, Szabo is quick to shut down any talk of cash driving her, its all about the thrill of the competition mates.

Brushing off the dollar drama, she shared: “I would say it was a privilege to be around Dana [White] because it runs under the UFC, so I would say that’s definitely one part of the reason I hopped in. Also, the self challenge. I didn’t really know how I was going to come out of this event, you know?

Szabo also goes by the name Sheena Bathory

“I remember the very first competition, I didn’t know how strong I’m going to slap, I didn’t know how I’m going to react when I get slapped, so also the curiosity. And then after, when I did really great at the exhibition competition, I was like, ‘okay, actually, it was made for me, so I’m going to stay in’.”

Now, Szabo is gearing up for a different type of brawl – stepping into the MMA cage for the first time this Saturday night to duke it out with Katalin Aranyi at Hargita Fight Night in Romania. Dishing on her decision to dip into MMA, Szabo explained: “Because I have done many combat sports before like wrestling, grappling, I have done some Jitsu. And because I got involved in Power Slap, which is under UFC, it just started to make me think, ‘MMA is, of course, the king of the combat sports, so why not?’

“I’d already tried out almost every combat sport. I think MMA would be great. And I was also inspired by Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison – both judo fighters, and they did really good, you know? So I think circumstances just guided me here and a desire to compete in MMA.”