Power Slap’s meteoric rise to fame has turned Da Crazy Hawaiian into a household name in the world of combat sport, but as the Super Heavyweight Champion tells Defiance, his life hasn’t been plain sailing.
It’s 7 a.m. in Hawaii as Layne Viernes, better known as Da Crazy Hawaiian, answers the video call for our interview. At six foot two and 360 pounds, he fills the screen, but his wide smile contradicts his hard man persona.
He asks for “one moment” while he walks off to check that his youngest child, Kaimana, is going to be okay eating her breakfast properly in his absence.
After a warm exchange about how nice Hawaii is and how I must visit someday (and a slightly different conversation about the conditions on a wet, windy January day in England), he laughs off a question about his training schedule, saying: “I’ve never really trained. The first time I did the sport I instantly knew that I had a talent. I knew straight away that it was what I wanted to do. For me it was almost too easy.”
In this way, he differs from what I’d expect from a top-level athlete. He seems chilled out and not nearly as obsessed with his profession as I imagine someone would need to be to reach the level he has. He talks about how much free time he has now compared to when he worked in construction and reminisces about how different his life could have been if he pursued being a tugboat captain, which is what he went to college in Oregon to study.
When Layne first got involved in slap fighting back in 2017, it was not sanctioned and hadn’t yet developed an official league. There were no weight categories, as Layne recalls going a staggering 21 rounds in his first-ever bout, which was held in a dive bar in the United States that “smelt like alcohol and piss and held fights with no rules and no officials.”
So, when I ask him how the sport went from underground bars in America to sold-out arenas in Abu Dhabi, Layne is more than happy to explain his importance in helping what he describes as “the fastest growing sport in the world.”
“I had a hand in growing the sport. I see myself as a pioneer,” the 34-year-old proudly proclaims. “I travelled to every state that had a slap strike organisation. In the end, they provided the funds, and I started my own organisation called the Chin Check Slap Down.”
Layne is excited to talk me through all these states that he visited, showing pictures on his phone and explaining that Hawaii and Oregon were the only two places he had ever stepped foot in before this. He decides that Florida was the best, stating that his highlight was watching his first-ever soccer game in Miami, but assures me that “it was no Hawaii. Nothing compares to the beauty of Hawaii.”
Regardless of all his legwork, Layne admits that UFC president Dana White “is the reason that the sport has grown into what it is today. When Dana was interested in taking over, he came to me first. I suggested the name Power Slap and then stepped aside to let him do his thing. The rest is history.”
In Dana White’s Power Slap league, a match consists of two participants, who both deliver and receive one slap per round. Opponents are scored based on the amount of damage they inflict and how well they absorb slaps. The bout lasts until one participant can no longer carry on or until the end of the tenth round, when the three judges will make the final decision on the winner.
Despite Power Slap’s dazzling rise to fame in just three years, there are still huge concerns over the safety of those who partake. Neuroscientists state that even in regulated leagues, getting hit in this way causes traumatic brain injuries, and the hits can cause the brain to twist in the skull, which can cause brain damage. According to a study at the University of California San Francisco, getting hit repeatedly will increase chances of dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Layne clearly struggles to understand what people’s problem is with the sport and completely brushes over these studies. “I’m perfectly healthy, and I’ve done almost 20 of them. I watch boxing, MMA, and other combat sports,” says Layne. “I see people getting knocked out the same as us, but before it they’re getting worked on and chipped away. In my sport it’s one. If you get knocked out, the fight’s over.”
These studies are strengthened by the tragic death of Polish slap fighter Artur Walczak. In 2021, The former strongman was put into a medically induced coma after being slapped and died due to a traumatic brain injury.
It’s almost bizarre how determined Layne is to ignore the health issues, as he shakes his head and again responds dismissively by saying: “Some people in the sport may accumulate some damage from not being able to take it properly, but there is a technique in receiving and hitting.”
Looking a little irritated, he diverts the topic of conversation to his childhood: “There were much tougher things than that growing up in Hawaii. You had to fight. Physically fight for your last name. My dad used to take me from door to door, and if I had problems as a little kid, he would tell their dad that our kids are going to fight it out. After the fight we would shake hands and be good friends. That’s how I grew up, and it’s relevant to the sport.”
Despite Layne telling a story that on the surface sounds like a sign of a tough upbringing, his whole demeanour changes whilst talking about life in Hawaii. Perhaps he’s killing time to avoid more questions about the safety of his job, but it feels as though he can talk about his home life for hours.
“I’m so proud to be representing Hawaii,” Layne goes on to say. “I want to show the world how resilient and strong my people are. I have so many beautiful memories here. I started a family here. This is my way of giving back and putting my home on the map.”
Even with lingering worries over the safety of competitors, slap fighting is now a mainstream sport, being broadcast live on TV and YouTube for the world to view. In just 36 months it has turned Da Crazy Hawaiian from a man working in construction to Super Heavyweight World Champion. After becoming champion in late 2023, he retained his title by beating the then top-ranked slapper Dani Van Heerden in Vegas last year.
“It means the world to have this title. It was a dream come true,” Layne boasts while changing the camera angle to show me his Super Heavyweight belt, which sits on the top shelf in his home office. “Now we go around the world to defend it, and that’s exciting as well. I had never been outside of the United States before my recent fight in Abu Dhabi, and it was amazing to experience it through Power Slap.”
Now Layne is preparing for his second visit to the Middle East, this time to Riyadh, as he takes on Power Slap’s number one ranked competitor, Dumpling, in a much-anticipated rematch. The world’s two best slap fighters cancelled each other out back in October. This time around, Layne hopes to defeat Dumpling on January 30 and “show the world that Hawaiians are stronger than Russians.”
Dumpling is widely regarded as the biggest threat to Da Crazy Hawaiian’s Super Heavyweight belt, making their meeting “the biggest slap bout in the history of the world,” according to Layne, who claims that winning the fight “would cement his position in the Slap Fight hall of fame,” but also admits that he needs to start focusing on being healthy and present for his wife Malia and their six children.
“In October I was 420 pounds. That’s too much to feel healthy. I’ve lost 60 pounds. I want to become double champ, but I am also doing what I need to do to stay healthy for my kids. Those are my next goals.”
Although Layne clearly always believed in the sport, he concedes that he didn’t know that it would go international but now sees no ceiling for Power Slap.
“The sport has grown so much. Now Saudi Arabia. I can’t fathom it. I really believe this can be the biggest sport in the world. I can’t see this slowing down, and I don’t see any sports as exciting as this one.”
As I wish him good luck for his big fight later this month, he leans into his stage name and urges me to “stay crazy” before assuring me that he’ll do all he can to bring home the win for his family.
