Casey Stephens finally got his first Power Slap win.
It may not have happened the way he originally envisioned, but after a chaotic and controversial matchup, Stephens walked away victorious — and now believes he is ready for anyone in the super heavyweight division.
“A victory’s a victory.”
“Finally Got My First Win”
After coming into Power Slap with major hype from the slap fighting world, Stephens had a tough debut against Kalani Vakameilalo.
Now, in his second appearance, he finally secured his first official victory under the Power Slap banner.
“It feels pretty amazing. Finally got my first win in Power Slap and hopefully that continues.”
Cedrice Paillant’s Strange Opening Round
The fight immediately got weird in round one.
Cedrice Paillant rushed his strike by going right on one — a major change from his previous fight where he repeatedly delayed his timing.
Stephens believes the strategy was intentional.
“I think he wanted to throw me off by going on one.”
But Casey also believes nerves played a role.
“I think he was super nervous and kind of rushed everything.”
The strike itself landed extremely high, nearly above the eye line, though Stephens said the actual damage was minimal despite the placement.
“It wasn’t much damage, just bad placement.”
The Longest Setup in Power Slap?
When it became Stephens’ turn to strike, the setup process dragged on as Cedrice repeatedly refused to properly relax his shoulder positioning.
Casey believes Paillant knew the power coming his way.
“He did not want to give up his shoulder position.”
At one point, Stephens even became visibly frustrated and told him:
“I had to do it? Fucking come on, man.”
Did Cedrice Quit?
The fight eventually ended after Cedrice was unable or unwilling to continue.
And while Stephens stopped short of fully accusing him of quitting, he admitted he has his suspicions.
“A part of me thinks he did not want to take another one.”
Still, Casey was careful not to fully dismiss the possibility of a legitimate injury.
“I don’t know the truth.”
“I’ll Fight Anybody”
Now sitting with his first Power Slap win, Stephens made it clear he is ready for a major step up in competition.
He pointed out that:
- he went toe-to-toe with the #2 ranked fighter previously,
- stood across from the #7 ranked fighter here,
- and still has not been put down.
Now he wants the biggest names possible.
“I’ll fight Dumpling. I’ll fight the champ. I don’t care who it is.”
He even specifically mentioned:
- Dumpling
- McKinney
- and the current champion
before adding:
“No one’s put me down yet.”
Looking for a Real Test
Stephens closed the interview with a challenge that perfectly sums up his mentality entering the next phase of his Power Slap career.
“Hopefully they give me someone who can actually hurt me — make it fun.”
With his first win secured and confidence growing, Casey Stephens is officially moving forward in the super heavyweight division.