Danie van Heerden is a big man with ambitious plans and great optimism that South African fans could, in the not too distant future, be treated to a bumper weekend of UFC, WWE and Power Slap, the combat sport in which he’s made his name.
The three brand names all fall under the control of American sports boss Dana White, who demands an indoor arena that can seat 11,000 people.
The attractions for local fans would be UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and Van Heerden, the third-ranked super-heavyweight contender in the world in slap-fighting.
At his last competition in Abu Dhabi last month Van Heerden was visited by sports minister Gayton McKenzie who, he believes, can help put together this combat extravaganza in South Africa.
For one thing, slap-fighting would need to be legalised here.
“I believe UFC, Power Slap and WWE will be hosted in South Africa [if we can secure the venue] with the help of … McKenzie. Power Slap needs to be sanctioned here.
“Gayton has met with Dana and them in Abu Dhabi. What can you say, as an athlete, and the minister of sport comes and supports you? That’s the best feeling ever.”
The body shape of the 37-year-old doesn’t exactly scream athlete — by his own admission he needs to keep a sufficiently sedentary level to maintain his fighting weight of 172kg in his 1.89m frame — but there was a time Van Heerden fought mixed-martial arts at 84kg.
He started fighting as a boxer because of his father, who had a brief career as a professional, but he fell in love with mixed martial arts (MMA) when he tried that for the first time in 2009, taking on Shawn Craig.
“I hit that guy with everything I’ve got, nothing happened. I split his forehead, he didn’t quit.
“He nearly pulled my leg off, I still didn’t quit. I’m like ‘you’re going to have to kill me, but I’m not quitting’. And that’s how I got the nickname Pitbull, basically, because I will fight you to the death.
“I couldn’t walk for two weeks after the match.”
But that was the beginning of his love affair with MMA.
Van Heerden has had professional licences across seven combat codes, from boxing to Muay Thai and kick-boxing to a few MMA organisations (he also had a licence for bareknuckle boxing, but never had a fight), but Power Slap is where he’s enjoyed a meteoric rise since joining a year ago.
It’s also been the most lucrative. “I’ve made in Power Slap in six months more than I’ve made my whole 11 years in MMA. Power Slap pays insane money,” said the businessman, who owns an appliance company and stages combat sport events.
I hit that guy with everything I’ve got, nothing happened. I split his forehead, he didn’t quit
Van Heerden, a former EFC heavyweight champion who also competed at light-heavyweight and middleweight, had never been dropped in all his combat sport contests until slap-fighting — at the hands of reigning world champion Koa Viernes, known as Da Crazy Hawaiin.
Even the hardest blow he took in MMA couldn’t put him down. “I felt my brain moving in my skull,” recalled Van Heerden. “With Power Slap I felt the same when Da Crazy Hawaiin caught me.”
Van Heerden got up at the count of eight. “I’m the only athlete that got dropped by him and got back up.”
Van Heerden, with only five fights, wants to get more experience before going for the title again.
But he’d like to use the code to help get children off the street. “Slap-fighting is the only sport where you can literally come from the couch and compete …
“If you can take a slap you can make it on the world stage. So it’s easier than any other sport because any other sport is commitment, it’s dedication. It’s all work, dieting.”
Slap-fighting requires skill to hit the target area — between eye level and the jaw line and not behind the ear — while not bending the arm.
Pretoria-based Van Heerden says Power Slap is helping him make a permanent move to Las Vegas with his wife Lindrie and their five children.
The Pitbull’s rough exterior is in sharp contrast to the man at home, who has a Yorkie-cross as a pet.
“He loves cats,” added Lindrie. “Nobody knows that. He calls them when he goes to lie down and they come lie on top of him.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.