Dana White To Media On Slapping Wife: ‘Don’t Defend Me, Don’t Anyone Defend Me;’ UFC President Will Not Step Away From Fight Show Organization After Hitting Wife New Year’s Eve
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer
UFC President Dana White told media Wednesday that no suspension of 30 or 60 days would be stiffer punishment than walking around every day knowing he did the wrong thing of slapping his wife at a New Year’s Eve party in Mexico.
White apparently will not be punished by Endeavor, UFC’s owner, after White and his wife, Anne, slapped each other in a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas less than two weeks ago.
White, 53, who runs the Las Vegas-based MMA promotion and is the public face of the fight show organization, said there is no excuse for what he did.
“Don’t defend me. Don’t anyone defend me,” White told media at UFC’s Apex facility as part of the UFC fight week media availability.
“There’s never a reason or excuse for what happened on New Year’s Eve. This is the first time it’s ever happened. I can guarantee it won’t happen again,” White said.
White, however, stopped short of speaking out against domestic violence as a spokesman and of being an advocate for stopping domestic violence in general.
White was quick to address his action of slapping his wife with an interview on the TMZ TV show less than 24 hours after a video surfaced of the longtime MMA fight organizer trading slaps with his wife.
There’s never a reason or excuse for what happened on New Year’s Eve. This is the first time it’s ever happened. I can guarantee it won’t happen again. — UFC President Dana White
White said he apologized to his three children and noted he will have to live with this “for the rest of my life.”
He told media: “You don’t bounce back. You wake up every day and try to be better than yesterday.”
White explained, “This was a personal family matter that played out in public . . . Who will be more disappointed than your kids?”
White’s altercation with his wife of more than 25 years has not received the widespread media attention on ESPN that you would expect. UFC is a partner of Disney-owned ESPN and there are those who believe the sports network has not covered the White incident as closely as it should because of UFC’s content on ESPN.
UFC’s management style is different than that of the NFL or MLB. UFC is a rebel brand fronted by the colorful White, who routinely drops F-bombs during interviews and has a Friday feature on social media called, “Fuck It Friday,” where he shows UFC food recipes and eats the food item. You won’t see NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell posting “Fuck It Friday” food features.
White also fronts the UFC fight shows in a direct, in-your-face manner, doing everything from announcing gate numbers after events to running the fighter staredowns during fight week to promote sales.
He’s usually in jeans and a T-shirt bearing the logo of a UFC sponsor, though White’s been wearing blazers as he gets older.
