By FRANCIS FEDOR
The Tampa region is a sports fanatic’s dream. The Tampa Bay Lightning has been very successful with two championships in the past four years. The Buccaneers have brought a Super Bowl to the city. The Rays are generating excitement out in St. Petersburg. But were you aware that Damien “The Bell” Dibbell, of Ruskin., is going to headline Power Slap 2 in Las Vegas on Weds., May 24? The heavyweight title matchup that features Dibbell against champion “Wolverine” will be a part of the UFC Apex event that can be found on Rumble (a streaming service that is available on many platforms). Some may have heard of UFC, Ultimate Fighting Championships, which have been a staple in Florida. Power Slap is a newer addition to the fighting scene, holding its first events in late 2022; it simply pits two fighters with a table between them to test their slapping strength and technique to see who relents first. Power Slap, like UFC, is the brain child of Dana White. UFC has become very popular in arenas across the US and has the likes of Connor McGregor participating to sellout crowds. Power Slap is looking to capitalize on the UFC success and establish itself as a contender in the fighting ecosystem, and being a part of UFC Apex will get exposure to the large audience the UFC attracts.
Damien comes into the event as the No. 1 ranked heavyweight with a 3-1 record and three KO’s. He relies on his background as an amateur boxer. “The Bell” is only 21 but has already become a top star in slap fighting. He served as Wolverine’s assistant coach, which will add to the anticipation of the event. The two fighters should be very familiar with each other’s styles. Damien was born in Hawaii, but he comes to Ruskin from Oceanside, CA. He is 6 ft. 2 in. tall, weighs in at 255 pounds and is right-handed. He considers his opponent, Ron “Wolverine” Bata, “a great guy and arguably the best in the sport, so I’m excited to, hopefully, defeat the best.” Damien sees a potential path from slap fighting to pursuing other professional sports opportunities.
If you want to check in on Damien and his Power Slap 2 performance, it will stream live and free across the globe on Rumble on Wednesday, May 24, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Follow Power Slap on Rumble. Rumble is available for free on desktop, mobile and web at Rumble.com, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Apple TV, Android & Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku Streaming Players and Roku TVs and LG TV. Good luck to “The Bell” as he looks to bring a Power Slap title to Ruskin. The event can be found at this link: https://rumble.com/c/powerslap/.