Dana White has recently found himself in hot water after he was caught on video slapping his wife at a New Year's Eve party in Mexico.
The current president of the UFC and his wife, Anne, were involved in an altercation that turned physical in the VIP section of El Squid Roe in Cabo San Lucas.
The clip, which was filmed from the crowds below, was obtained by TMZ before going viral on social media and shows the 53-year-old leaning down to say something to his wife while seemingly grabbing at her hands before she looks up and strikes him in the face.
In response, he slaps her back before the pair are quickly separated by those around them.
The incident has sparked backlash online, with many slamming White for his method of retaliation.
"Why is #DanaWhite putting hands on his wife!?", said one user.
"Dana White slapping his wife up in a night club. Yous a tough guy huh? @danawhite Beating on a woman, let alone his wife... you scumbag‼️", added another.
A third commented: "Dana White slapped his wife and it's on video and no one seems to care imagine any other sports figure did that? Another example of this corrupt-a** society."
In the wake of the incident, the 53-year-old has released a lengthy statement explaining his actions.
Speaking to TMZ, he said: "My wife and I were out for New Year’s Eve, and, unfortunately, that’s what happened. I’m one of the guys, you’ve 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."
He continued: "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, and this is one of those situations that’s horrible."
"I’m embarrassed," he added. "But it’s also one of those situations where right now we’re more concerned about our kids. We’ve shown the kids the video, and we’re more focused on our family right now."
"People are going to have opinions on this, and 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... This is just one of those unfortunate situations."
The UFC president also went on to confirm that the pair had been drinking, which had prompted the escalation of the situation.
"There was definitely a lot of alcohol involved, but that’s no excuse," he told the outlet. "I literally am making no excuses for this thing at all. It’s never happened before. It’s the first time it’s ever happened. People are gonna say what they’re gonna say. It is what it is, and whatever people do say, it’s deserved. I deserve it."
White's wife also spoke of the incident, saying that this was totally out of character of her husband.
"...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."
In no way, shape or form is physical violence ever the answer, but we hope the couple manages to work together to move forward from this.