Dawid Zalewski prevailed in the main event of the Slap Fighting Championship on Saturday.
Zalewski knocked out American champion Koa Viernes to defend his super heavyweight title. The event was part of the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio.
Along with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Logan Paul was also in attendance at the event.
“The slap fighting competition is one of the craziest events that we have here at The Arnold,” said Schwarzenegger. “When the idea was brought to me, I said to myself that we accept all kinds of sports that people sometimes consider odd. I knew I wanted to bring it in. The world’s best are here today and on this stage. I cannot wait to see this competition. I want the fans to let us know if we should keep bringing this back year after year.”
Unbeaten Poland native Zalewski was able to bounce back after being seriously wobbled by a massive shot Viernes landed in round two which launched the Three-time Champion Zalewski into the arms of the fighter safety catchers. Viernes had looked strong in the first two rounds, absorbing Zalewski’s huge blows with little visible effect.
“With the combination of my home state of Ohio, Arnold Schwarzenegger and slap fighting, this is something I couldn’t say no to,” said Paul. “This is going to be absurd. Some big guys are going to hit the floor.”
Directly preceding the main event, Peter “Alligator” Truchlik (4-1) won an overtime decision over Karol “Piccolo” Wylupek (2-2-1) in a light heavyweight contest. Truchlik appeared to land the two biggest shots of the scheduled three-round bout, but was forced into an overtime round due to a misfire in round two that delivered a slap far below full strength. After staggering Wylupek in the overtime round, Truchlik was able to earn a victory by judges’ decision.
