Things got a tad heated for Dana White and his wife Anne while they were out at a nightclub recently. The UFC president was seen in a video arguing with his wife in a VIP section before Anne slapped him in the face. Quickly, White returned the strike with one of his own ahead of the couple being pulled apart.
The video quickly circulated on social media, and the Whites returned with statements about the controversy. “You’ve heard me say over the years, ‘There is never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman,’” White told TMZ. “And now here I am on TMZ talking about it.”
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“My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years.” He added, “We’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. We’ve obviously been through some sh*t together, we’ve got three kids.”
White called the situation “horrible,” adding that he’s “embarrassed” by it all. He also stated he isn’t trying to make excuses for the incident. “It’s never happened before. It’s the first time it’s ever happened.”
“But it’s also one of those situations that right now we’re more concerned about our kids,” he continued. “We have three kids, and obviously, since the video popped up, we’ve shown the kids the video, and we’re more focused on our family right now.”
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Anne White also spoke with TMZ and confirmed that this isn’t how she and her husband settle conflicts.
“Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years,” she said. “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.”
[via]