Jaco ‘Groot Wit’ Marneweck will become the first Lowvelder to fight on the Power Slap circuit when he travels to Saudi Arabia at the end of January.

Groot Wit is the current Punisher Slap Fighting South African super-heavyweight champion, having snatched this title from Martin ‘Iceman’ Gerber in June last year. He has enjoyed an astronomic rise on the slap fighting circuit. He made his debut in April last year, against André ‘Dupie’ du Preez.

He was due to face a challenge for the South African title in March this year, but this fight won’t take place now that he is making the move to Power Slap. Groot Wit received word earlier this week that he has officially been added to the undercard for the Power Slap 11 event, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 31.

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“I am very excited for this opportunity. It is a dream come true. After my official call-up, I could not walk – my legs were shaking all over the place. So I look forward to representing our Lowveld and our country on a professional level,” Marneweck told Lowvelder.

The significance of being signed onto Power Slap is not lost on Groot Wit. “This opportunity means I will be the first Lowvelder to go abroad to fight for our country as a professional in the slap fighting sport,” he said.

“This will open doors for other individuals to get involved in this sport and maybe one day also reach these heights.”

His opponent has not been confirmed just yet, but Groot Wit, 1.86m tall and weighing in at 180kg, is chomping at the bit to slap someone silly in Saudi Arabia. “I am working very hard each day, in and out the gym to be the best slap version of myself, and I am ready to take on the best of the best.”

Power Slap is considered to be the premier slap fighting promotion company in the world, and is owned and overseen by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Power Slap was founded by UFC owner Dana White in 2022, and since then has overseen significant growth of this sport around the world.

There have been 10 Power Slap events held thus far, and the upcoming event in Saudi Arabia will be the 11th. Layne ‘Da Crazy Hawaiian’ Viernes will be defending his super-heavyweight title from the challenge of Vasilii ‘Dumpling’ Kamotskii. Groot Wit will fight on the undercard for this event.