Wesley Drain, a former resident of Tahlequah, is making a name for himself in the sport of slap fighting. The sport involves two opponents standing across from each other and taking turns slapping each other across the face no more than three times. The winner is determined by either a knockout or the opponent’s disqualification, and the judges take into account the damage and technique of each slap to come to a final decision. The sport has received a lot of negative feedback due to its “wild” nature.
Drain got involved in slap fighting around January 2022 after being tagged in a Facebook post by his coach and manager, Matthew Robertson. The sport is just now starting to become mainstream in the US, but is bigger in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Drain has been involved in MMA for five years, and he mainly works on exercises in Tahlequah at Thunder Muay Thai to help prepare for a competition. He recently took part in the Power Slap League, a televised slap fighting tournament in Las Vegas that debuted in January 18.
Drain’s goal when fighting has always been to become a world champion and use his platform to help change the world for the better, especially for the youth. He also wants to be a positive influence and inspire kids. He is still gunning for the UFC title, but he plans to be a champion in all competitions.
