Editors’ note: This story contains accounts of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is a survivor of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or at https://www.thehotline.org/
UFC president Dana White and his wife, Anne, both issued statements Monday regarding a video that captured the two in a physical altercation on New Year’s Eve.
The couple was seen arguing in a video originally posted by TMZ at a nightclub in Cabo, Mexico. The video shows Anne slapping her husband, and then him slapping her back before they were separated.
After the video circulated on social media, Anne noted that “nothing like this has ever happened before.” Dana reiterated this comment, and he said the couple is more worried about their three kids right now due to the social media reaction.
“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,” Dana said. “My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years. We’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. We’ve obviously been through some s— together. We’ve got three kids.
“This is one of those situations that’s horrible, I’m embarrassed—but it’s also one of those situations that right now we’re more concerned about our kids. We have three kids and obviously, since the video popped up, we’ve shown the kids the video and we’re more focused on our family right now.”
Dana continued to emphasize how he has “no excuses” for his actions and that this situation was a first-time occurrence for the couple.
“I’m literally making no excuses for this thing at all,” White continued. “It’s never happened before. It’s the first time it’s ever happened. People are going to say what they’re going to say, and it is what is. Whatever people say is deserved. I deserve it.”
Anne’s statement expressed similar sentiments to her husband’s, and she noted that alcohol was a contributing factor to the confrontation.
“To say this is out of character for him is an understatement,” Anne said to TMZ. “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. We’ve talked this through as a family and apologized to each other. I just hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our kids.”
