Dana White, the American businessman who owns the rights to the UFC, has started 2023 taking center stage. And for an unfortunate reason: when he was celebrating the arrival of the new year at Squid Roe VIP, a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, he was caught on camera at the exact moment he was beating his wife.

The incredible thing about the news is that on more than one occasion White has abandoned the line on gender-based violence: “There is never an excuse for a man to lay hands on a woman.” However, this weekend he acted against his words.

The first to clarify the situation was the woman attacked: “Unfortunately we both drank too much at the New Year’s party and things got out of control on both sides. We’ve talked about it as a family and we apologize to each other,” said Anne White, who came out to justify her husband.

It all happened while they were celebrating New Years with a group of friends; That’s where the reaction started. According to witnesses, Dana would have approached her wife to tell her something about her and the woman would have reacted with a slap. The burly man was quick to respond and started beating his wife, until his friends arrived to separate them.

“I’m ashamed,” White himself agreed, who also blamed alcohol.

“You’ve heard me say more than once that a man should never touch a woman and now I’m here talking about it,” she told TMZ Sports.

The woman spoke to the same site: “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. Unfortunately, we also drank a lot on New Years and “Things got out of hand, on both sides. We talked about it as a family and apologized to each other. I just hope people respect our privacy for the sake of our children.”

According to North American media, the UFC owner’s fortune reaches about 400 million dollars. White acquired the rights with Lorenzo Fertitta, a casino owner and childhood friend. When he found out that Entertainment Group, the company that created this mixed martial arts league, was selling the license, he reached out to his old acquaintance. Together, they’ve raised an estimated $4 billion to own the brand.