REVEALED: Dana White told fighters in 2014 “you NEVER recover from putting your hands on a woman,” and is now facing calls to quit as UFC president after BEATING his wife on New Year’s Eve
Dana White is facing calls to step down from his role as UFC president after a 2014 interview resurfaced in which he claimed you “never recover from laying your hands on a woman.”
White apologized Tuesday after video surfaced of him publicly slapping his wife in the face during an argument on New Year’s Eve.
White, 53, has been married to his wife Anne since 1996. The couple had three children together in the last 26 years when his net worth soared to a reported $500 million with the development of the UFC, the world’s most popular mixed martial arts advertisement.
But his position at the top of the UFC could now be on the line after a 2014 interview surfaced in which he responded to video of former Baltimore Ravens showing Ray Rice abusing his wife.
UFC boss Dana White has apologized for slapping his wife on New Year’s Eve
White said he had no apologies for his actions and said he was “embarrassed” by the clip
Speaking to FOX Sports Live at the time, White said: “It’s a tough question. First off, the video is chilling. Absolutely terrifying. You’re talking about a guy who’s been in the fight business since he was 19. It’s the most unsettling thing you’ll ever see.
“What’s just as bad as the punch is that he shows no remorse afterwards. You know, when you’ve done something out of anger and you’re like, “Oh my god. What have I done?” This guy doesn’t have that. I don’t know everything about what Roger Goodell did or knew or how it was handled, but it’s definitely bad. I can tell you one thing: I don’t want to be Roger Goodell.
“We were people by letting these guys and other guys make amends for what they did and come back. There’s one thing you never shy away from, and that’s laying your hands on a woman. It’s been like that in the UFC since we started here. You don’t flinch when you lay hands on a woman.”
White has been married to his partner Anne for 26 years and they have three children
White, who has led the UFC since 2001, previously said there is no turning back for fighters who are violent towards women
White and his wife celebrated New Year’s Eve at El Squid Roe in Cabo San Lucas, where the clip was filmed. Footage shows White appearing to say something to Anne, who responds by hitting him. He then slaps her on the back before the two are separated.
Addressing the incident to TMZ, the UFC chief said: “My wife and I were out on New Year’s Eve Saturday night. Unfortunately that happened.
“I’m one of those guys who says there’s never an excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman, and now I’m talking about it here on TMZ.
“It’s one of those horrible situations. I’m embarrassed. We have three children and since the video surfaced we have shown it to the children and are now more focused on our family.
“People will have their opinion on this and people’s opinion would be right, especially in my case. You never attack a woman.”
His wife Anne is quoted by TMZ as saying: “To say this is out of character for him is an understatement – nothing like this has happened before.
“Unfortunately we both drank too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of hand on both sides. We discussed this as a family and we apologized to each other.