The news of UFC President Dana White’s physical altercation with his wife on New Year’s Eve has rocked the MMA world. The incident, which was caught on camera, was released by TMZ.
White has since addressed the incident, taking responsibility for his part in the altercation and expressing his deep regret. He also admitted to both he and his wife had been drinking heavily at the time of the incident, though he has made it clear that alcohol is no excuse for his actions.
“I’m in Cabo, Mexico, for the holidays with my family, and my wife and I were out with family on New Year’s Eve, and unfortunately that’s what happened,” White told TMZ. “I’m one of the guys, you heard me say for years: There’s never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman. And now here I am on TMZ talking about it. My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years. We’ve known each other since we were almost 12 years old. We’ve obviously been through some sh*t together and we’ve got three kids, and this is one of those situations that’s horrible.”
White continued to say, “I’m embarrassed, but it’s also one of those situations where 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. People are going to have their opinions on this. Most of the people’s opinions will be right – especially in my case. You don’t put your hands on a woman ever. My wife and I obviously love each other. We’ve been together for a very long time. We’ve known each other since we were very little and this is just one of those unfortunate situations.”
White’s wife, Anna, has also released a statement regarding the incident, acknowledging it as out of character for White and apologizing to their children. She also appealed for respect for the family’s privacy as they attempt to heal.
In the statement by Anna, she said, “Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years. 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. 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.”
