Slapping champion falls into 'mini coma' after first ever KO at competition

A Russian slapping champion was hospitalized after being knocked out for the first time ever at a competition for the unusual sport this week, according to reports.

Vasiliy Khamotskiy, nicknamed "Dumpling," was KO'd by rookie competitor Vyacheslav Zezulya during the tournament.

The two men stood across from each other with a black barrel between them and began exchanging blows. A hard slap from Zezulya immediately caused Khamotskiy to lose his footing and slump forward onto the barrel. He had to be helped back up by both his opponent and a referee and was reportedly rushed to the hospital after being knocked into a "mini coma."

See footage of the matchup:

The former champion later claimed to have "liked" the hit and said he was "put to sleep for a little bit," according to The Sun.

Khamotskiy, as well as the sport of slapping, rose to fame earlier this year after footage from a tournament in March was widely covered. He was scheduled to face off against YouTuber Logan Paul in May, but Paul dropped out of the competition.