“KO Chris”: “I Run This Thing”
Christapher “KO Chris” Thomas Feels Heated And Ready To Defend His Power Slap Welterweight Title In Style At Power Slap 6
When Power Slap founder Dana White was looking for athletes to compete in Power Slap, he struck gold with Christapher Thomas.
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The Idaho native started training for Power Slap in 2022 and was one of the first athletes to help launch the worldwide leader in slap fighting. Thomas was a fast riser, knocking out opponents during the Power Slap test events and creating the blueprint for what a champion could look like.
Those performances earned him a spot on season one of Power Slap: Road To The Title, where many pegged him to be the top welterweight in the competition. By this point, the nickname “KO Chris” was in full effect and his knockout power and stage presence was undeniable – so much so that White knew that Thomas was a budding superstar.
“He’s got unbelievable power and he’s got great energy,” White said of Thomas. “I love everything about that kid.”
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On Road To The Title, Thomas knocked out Waylon Frost and Michael “Slap Jesus” Smith to punch his ticket to Power Slap 1 in March of 2023. That match would be for the Power Slap welterweight title against Jesus Gaspar Diaz.
Thomas knocked out Diaz in the first round, etching his name in history as the first Power Slap welterweight champion.
“In all reality, I am going to be one of the original OGs and I’m the very first person ever to receive the welterweight strap,” Thomas told Power Slap.com. “I’m going to be part of all the firsts. I was the first person to ever get a Power Slap knockout. I’m part of it.”
Almost a full-year later, Thomas is back after a stint coaching season 2 of Road To The Title opposite of Power Slap 6 opponent Emanuel Muniz. Things between the two were certainly heated at times throughout the season, and the bad blood is real heading into their title bout on February 9.
And “KO Chris” has no problem letting the world know that he doesn’t exactly get along with Muniz.
“Oh yeah, I’m going to end him. It’s the only time I’ve ever been this mad,” Thomas said. “Thinking he’s better than everyone and saying he’s the OG. Him coming and dropping weight and talking trash about the weight class isn’t right. It’s my weight class and I run this thing. I wanted him right away.
“I’m going to eat this guy up for breakfast, lunch, dinner. I’m going to make this look easy.”
Thomas is far from all talk; he’s knocked out all five of his Power Slap opponents to date. Due to the heat between the two, adding a knockout win over Muniz to his resume feels almost just as special as notching his first welterweight title defense.
“He’s going to hope and pray that he knocks me out [on the first strike], but he’ll see in my eyes that it’s not going to happen,” Thomas said. “When you have that hungry feeling, the person that wants it the most is the person that is going to win. I want it more than he does. I know I do.”
Thomas’ sights are set on Muniz, but the welterweight champ also has a plan for what he’d like his reign to look like. He wants to see new contenders come to the forefront and he’s looking to defend his belt a handful of times in 2024.
“We’re starting to build this division up now and there isn’t going to be anything easy going forward,” Thomas said. “There are bright things coming for the division.”
Part of the reason that Thomas has taken such an issue with Muniz is that when Muniz made the move from middleweight to welterweight, he said that the strikers at welterweight were “weak” and “there’s no chance they could sleep him.”
Thomas took those comments personally; after all, he does go by “KO Chris.”
“He said that welterweights hit too soft,” Thomas said. “But this kid has nothing. His only knockout was a fluke and he’s beat no one. He said he was an OG but I’m the OG. You saw it on the show that he has a bully attitude and I’m going to show him that s*** won’t fly with me.
“It will be the same every time I go up on that stage. It doesn’t matter where I’m at or who is there. I’m “KO Chris,” Thomas said. “It’s not going to be a challenge.”
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