Slap fighter looking to open his own gym

Darren ‘Tarantula’ Godfrey is a big name in the power slap community

Combat sports veteran Darren ‘Tarantula’ Godfrey has competed in boxing, bareknuckle fighting and kickboxing over a 20-year career.

But slap fighting is the discipline the man from Shropshire said was changing his life and giving him the opportunity to open a gym of his own.

The sport, booming in popularity and watched by millions online, involves taking turns to deliver open-handed and undefended strikes to the cheek.

He said he was confident in the medical care on offer but doctors and scientists have raised concerns over its potential to cause serious brain damage.

The 36-year-old, from Annscroft, took part in US reality TV show Power Slap: Road to the Title in 2023.

Last month he beat mixed martial arts fighter Ke’ali’i Kanekoa with a knockout at the Power Slap 9 event in Abu Dhabi.

Footage of the fight has since gone viral with billions of people viewing it, he said.

“I came home with pretty heavy pockets from this one so I went out and treated the family and got a new car.

“It’s actually changing my life. We are looking at finding premises and opening my own gym which was always a goal of mine, I just didn’t have the funds to do it."

Ron "Wolverine" Bata slapped Damien "The Bell" Dibbell in a five-round bout in Las Vegas in 2023

The BBC has previously reported doctors were worried slap fighting could have serious repercussions.

The alarm was raised in 2021 after Polish slap fighter Artur Walczak suffered a brain bleed during a match in which he was knocked out. He later died.

'Increased risk'

US neurosurgeon Dr Joseph Maroon said slap fighting posed an obvious risk and that guidance was needed.

"The worst possible thing to do in terms of possibly incurring brain damage is to return to a contact sport before the brain has completely recovered... the brain is more susceptible to damage with a lesser force," he said.

Godfrey said fighters were treated well.

“People like my mum are thinking “you’re gonna have no brains left when you’re older, my boy” but the rewards are worth it,” he said.

“It’s just the same as UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] we get all the same drug testing, screening and the brain scans”.

Godfrey will fight again in Saudi Arabia next year as he targets the world middleweight title.