- Dana White and his wife Anne White were seen on video slapping each other on New Year's Eve.
- They have both issued statements since the incident, which was filmed at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
UFC boss Dana White and his wife Anne White are seen on video slapping each other at a New Year's Eve party inside the VIP area of a Cabo San Lucas nightclub in Mexico.
White, 53, said the incident has left him "embarrassed," while his partner — whom he married in 1996 — said they had both been drinking.
In the video, which TMZ Sports published Monday, the couple appears to be arguing before Dana holds onto Anne's wrists.
Anne slaps him around the head and Dana then slaps his wife numerous times before people separate them.
"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," said White to TMZ.
White joined UFC in 2001 and helped build the company into a juggernaut worth billions of dollars. He is arguably the most powerful person in combat sports, and is this year launching a new organization called Power Slap.
'We've obviously been through some shit together,' said Dana White
"My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years," White told TMZ. "We've known each other since we were 12 years old. We've obviously been through some shit together. We've got three kids.
"This is one of those situations that's horrible. I'm embarrassed, but it's also one of those situations that right now we're more concerned about our kids.
"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.
"I'm literally making no excuses for this thing at all. It's never happened before. It's the first time it's ever happened. People are going to say what they're going to say and it is what is. Whatever people say is deserved. I deserve it."
'Unfortunately, we were both drinking,' Anne White said
Anne White, 53, sent a separate statement to TMZ.
"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."