UFC President Dana White says he won’t be punished for slapping his wife in a nightclub on New Year’s Eve.
The 53-year-old told a UFC press conference on Wednesday that there was “no excuse” for the altercation, but suggested any fallout would “hurt the company.”
“What will it do? You tell me. I’ll take 30 days off? How will it affect me?” he said.
“My leaving hurts the company, it hurts my people, it hurts the fighters. It doesn’t hurt me. What is my punishment? This is my punishment: no matter how long I live, I have to go around and that’s who I am current label.
“It’s obviously a horrible personal experience. And, you know, there’s no excuses. It’s something I’m going to have to face and live with for the rest of my life.”
A video released by US entertainment website TMZ appears to show Mr White and his wife Anne quarreling on the balcony Or a nightclub lounge in the Mexican resort of Cabo San Lucas.
In the clip recorded by bystanders, Mrs White hits her husband, who then slaps her twice before the friends end the argument.
After the incident, the UFC boss apologized, saying: “You’ve heard me say over the years that men never have any excuse to put their hands on women, and now I’m here to talk about it.
“My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years, we’ve known each other since we were 12 and obviously we’ve been through something together. We have three children and this is one of those horrible situations.
“I’m embarrassed, but it’s one of those situations where we care more about our kids now.”