UFC chief Dana White responds to video of him slapping his wife

UFC president Dana White has responded to footage of him slapping his wife during an altercation which took place on New Year's Eve.

White and his wife Anne, who have been married for 26 years, were counting down to 2023 at a Cabo San Lucas nightclub in El Squid Roe, Mexico when the incident took place.

Footage obtained by TMZ showed Anne with her head in her hands as the couple and their group stood on a balcony above the dance floor.

She turned to White and he reached out to touch one of her hands before she slapped him around the face, after which he hit her back.

Px Images / Alamy Stock Photo

The pair continued to grapple with each other before friends pulled them apart, and White has now stressed there's 'never ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman'.

In an interview with TMZ addressing the altercation, the UFC president said he's had that belief for years, but 'now here [he is] on TMZ talking about it'.

"This is one of those situations that's horrible, I'm embarrassed," White said, before adding: "But it's also one of those situations that is... right now, we're more concerned about our kids."

White acknowledged that 'people are going to have opinions' about what happened and admitted that 'most of the people's opinions will be right, especially in my case'.

"You don't put your hands on a woman, ever," he said. "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."

Meanwhile, Anne told TMZ the incident was out of the ordinary for the couple, saying: "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.

Francis Specker / Alamy Stock Photo

"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."

White agreed that there was 'a lot of alcohol involved' during the evening, but made clear 'that's no excuse'.

"It's never happened before, it's the first time that it's ever happened... and whatever people say it's deserved, I deserve it," he added.

UNILAD has attempted to reach out to UFC for comment.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247