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KEY POINTS
- Dana White and his wife, Anne, were caught having a physical altercation during a New Year’s Eve party
- White admitted that they were heavily intoxicated but that it was not an excuse to hit his wife
- Anne defended her husband, claiming that it never happened before
Dana White and his wife were filmed getting into a physical altercation with each other during a New Year’s Eve party at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, over the weekend.
The 53-year-old Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president and his partner of nearly three decades, Anne White, welcomed 2023 by celebrating at a party in El Squid Roe, a bar and restaurant in Cabo’s downtown nightlife district, with friends Saturday night.
But a night of fun turned into chaos after the couple got physical with each other during an argument, TMZ reported.
TMZ obtained a video Monday of the incident. In the clip, Dana can be seen leaning over to say something to his wife. While it was not clear what he told her, it apparently sparked outrage from Anne, who reacted by slapping Dana across the face.
The UFC magnate then slapped his wife back in response, before their friends intervened and pulled them apart.
At the time, the couple was in the VIP section above the dance floor, with onlookers watching from below.
Unnamed eyewitnesses who were in the club at the time of the incident told TMZ Sports that Dana and Anne both appeared “heavily intoxicated” before the altercation transpired and that the conflict ended in less than a minute.
The outlet was able to reach out to Dana for a statement regarding the incident, which he admitted was caused by drinking too much at the party. He acknowledged that this was not an excuse for him to get physical with his wife.
“My wife and I were out on Saturday night on New Year’s Eve, and unfortunately that’s what happened,” Dana said. “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 added that he felt embarrassed by the “horrible” incident and that he and Annehad already apologized to each other.
He claimed that they were “good” and that they love each other but were still worried about their three children, sons Dana III and Aidan and daughter Savannah, with whom they’ve had a talk about the altercation. The couple is “focused” on their family at the moment and went on with their vacation.
Meanwhile, Anne defended her husband, claiming that it was the first time they got physical with each other and that Dana’s actions were “out of character.”
“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,” Anne explained.
She continued, “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.”
The UFC and its subsidiary Endeavor Group Holdings have yet to issue a statement regarding Dana’s actions.
GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Ethan Miller
