UFC president Dana White issued an apology after a video surfaced of a physical altercation between him and his wife Anne White that was captured on video as they partied in a night club on New Year’s Eve celebration in Cabo, Mexico.
The video, published by TMZ, shows White and his wife, who appeared distraught, exchanging words in the VIP section of the party.
During the exchange, she slaps him in the face, and White then slaps her back twice.
The altercation continues before two people in the vicinity hold his wife back.
In an interview with TMZ, Dana White apologized and said there are “no excuses” for what happened.
“You’ve heard me say over the years, ‘There is never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman,’ and now here I am on TMZ talking about it,” White said.
Dana described the incident as “horrible,” adding that he is “embarrassed” by his actions.
He also said that the couple is more concerned about the three children they share together, who have seen the video of the altercation involving their parents.
The UFC president confirmed to TMZ reporters that, “a lot of alcohol was involved,” before adding that it is not an excuse for his actions.
He then claimed that it has never happened before and that the couple has apologized to each other.
White said there was no other altercation after the video ended and he is still on vacation with his wife and children.
In a separate statement provided to the outlet, Anne White also said it was an isolated incident.
“To say this is out of character for him is an understatement. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Unfortunately, we were both drinking too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of control, on both sides,” she said in the statement before asking for privacy on the matter.
Endeavor shares fall after video surfaces of Dana White hitting his wife
Shares of Endeavor, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fell after a video surfaced of UFC president Dana White hitting his wife.
According to CNBC, the entertainment company’s stock dropped by nearly 6 percent.
White is the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has held the role since 2001 when he convinced his childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother Frank to purchase the then-failing company.
Dana is credited with helping turn the UFC into the most successful mixed martial arts company in the world.
A clip of Dana White criticizing Ray Rice for putting hands on his wife resurfaces
In a 2014 interview, Dana spoke about allowing then-UFC fighter Thiago Silva to return to the company after a domestic violence dispute.
Dana said to the interviewers that part of the reason he was allowed to return to the UFC is that no charges were filed against Silva.
White then used former NFL player Ray Rice’s video in which he assaulted his fiancee as an example to suggest that it would not be tolerated if it is caught on camera.
The UFC president has also been quoted saying, “You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman,” when discussing Rice.