Dana White
UFC president Dana White dismissed suggestions that they staged incidents to build hype. In this picture, White speaks to the media during the UFC 229 Press Conference at Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 20, 2018, in New York City. Steven Ryan/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • A viral video has made the rounds, showing Dana White getting physical with his wife at a party
  • White has addressed the video and says he has apologized to his wife and kids
  • White says that there's "no excuse" for a man to hit a woman

UFC president Dana White finds himself in hot water to kick off his 2023 after a video of him and his wife Anne getting involved in a physical altercation has made rounds on social media.

In the footage, the 53-year-old can be seen exchanging getting slapped by his wife and then retaliating with a couple of slaps of his own during a New Year's Eve party in Cabo, Mexico.

Onlookers were visibly stunned by the altercation, and the two had to be separated.

Obviously, this isn't a good look for White, who is perhaps the most recognizable authority figure in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA).

In an interview with TMZ Sports, White spoke about the altercation and was apologetic, saying that there was 'no excuse' for what he did.

"My wife and I were out on Saturday night, 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," White 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 sh*t together, and we've got three kids, and this is one of those situations that's horrible. I'm embarrassed, but it's also one of those situations where, right now, we're more concerned about our kids," he continued.

White added that there was alcohol involved, which likely led to the escalation of the argument.

"There was definitely a lot of alcohol involved, but that's no excuse. I'm literally making no excuses for this thing at all. It's never happened before, it's the first time that it's ever happened," White later added. "My wife and I have apologized to each other, we've apologized to our kids."

Anne White also released a statement through TMZ Sports, saying that what happened was "out of character" for her husband.

"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," she stated before reiterating that he and Dana have apologized to each other.

"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."

With the UFC primed for another big year of fights in 2023, this is truly an unfortunate way to ring in the New Year.

Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and opponent Michael Bisping are separated by UFC President Dana White
Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and opponent Michael Bisping are separated by UFC President Dana White during the weigh-in for UFC 199 at The Forum on June 3, 2016 in Inglewood, California. Getty Images/Jayne Kamin-Oncea