A concussion expert has urged combat sport officials to ban brutal power slapping events in Australia, but she fears teen boys may already be copying the potentially-deadly slaps in schools around the country.
Footage of the Power Slap League, the heavily-criticised brainchild of UFC mogul Dana White, has gone viral in recent weeks with graphic videos showcasing vicious knockouts and confronting strikes to the head.
Dr Kerry Peek, a head trauma researcher at the University of Sydney, said any attempt to legitimise power slapping was "ludicrous".
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"There is absolutely every real possibility that someone could die," Peek told 9news.com.au, while analysing the unique dangers of power slapping.
White's latest venture features two opponents who face each other exchanging open-handed hits to the face one after another, until one wins the match.
There is a 30-second timer to deliver the slap, and another 30 seconds for recovery. Victory is determined by knockout, TKO or points.
Violent slap videos have shown men and women crumbling to the floor, with some fighters left twitching on the ground in an apparent state of severe concussion.
Peek said she will use those videos in her university concussion lectures this year because it so clearly illustrates to students "in real time what can happen if you get hit around the head".
The risk of brain trauma, and subsequent long-term damage or death, is higher in power slapping events, compared to other combat sports, she said.
There was no way, she said, events should ever be held in Australia.
"The issue with power slap is they're told to stand still, so there's nothing that the person being slapped can do to protect themselves," Peek said.
"If it was martial arts there are defensive moves, and in boxing there's defensive moves so you can lessen the risk of taking that full force.
"You can't in power slap."
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After the first episode of the show aired in January, White revealed his organisation is working on improving the league's safety.
"Everyone is in a learning process right now," White posted on Instagram, in an exchange with a fan who was asking him about safety protocols.
During launch, White claimed that moving the league from the fringes to under his stewardship would immediately make contests safer.
But at a time when experts are understanding the effects on the brain of repeatedly heading a football and other forms of contact sports, Peek said the rise of White's power slapping events was nothing short of bizarre.
"It seems crazy to exploit people's potential long-term risk and brain health for entertainment, and it really is only to smack people around the head," she said.
"You could argue the same about rugby or American football … but the sole aim of rugby and football is not to knock someone out."