UFC President Dana White claimed responsibility for hitting his wife Anne on New Year’s Eve in a news conference on Wednesday, drawing criticism from two former fighters who ridiculed his refusal to self-impose a penalty for the high-profile incident .
“There’s no excuse for that,” White said. “It’s something I’ll have to deal with and live with for the rest of my life.
“There’s no defense for that, and people shouldn’t be defending me about this, no matter what. All the criticism I have received this week is 100% justified and will continue to be.”
White was caught in video released by TMZ beating his wife while they were vacationing in Mexico. The video shows his slap came in retaliation after she first hit him. Others at the party then intervened.
White said there would be no further disciplinary action for the incident.
“Here’s my punishment: I have to walk around as long as I live – and that’s how I’ll be labeled now,” he said. “My other punishment is that I’m sure a lot of people – be they media, fighters, friends, acquaintances – who had respect for me may not respect me now. There are a lot of things I have to deal with for the rest of my life that are a lot more of a punishment than, what, I’m putting up with a 30 day or 60 day absence?
Not everyone with ties to the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization was pleased with White’s comments.
Later on Wednesday, retired UFC fighter Ramsey Nijem mocked White’s comments, citing a nine-month suspension he received for a positive marijuana test in 2019 when he was signed to the Professional Fighters League.
“When I was suspended for 9 months for weed, I think it would have been better to have been known as a weed user,” Nijem said wrote. “These are the law enforcement officers known as weed users, I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life.”
When I was suspended for 9 months for weed, I felt it would have been better to have been known as a weed user. The fact that the punishment officer is known to be a weed user is something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.
— Ramsey Nijem (@RamseyNijem) January 12, 2023
One-time UFC lightweight title challenger Al Iaquinta soon followed. Post: “When I was suspended from winning bonuses for 3 fights for berating the crowd and destroying a hotel room, I think it would have been a better punishment than being known by the crowd cursed hotel destroyers.”
When I was suspended for 3 fights from winning bonuses for shouting at the crowd and destroying a hotel room, I think it would have been a better punishment than being known by the crowd cursed hotel destroyer 😂 @danawhite https://t.co/lcIYqyt2n9
— Al Iaquinta🗽 (@ALIAQUINTA) January 12, 2023
White came under closer scrutiny in light of his 2014 comments on Fox Sports Live, in which he said: “There’s one thing you never bounce back from and that’s putting your hands on a woman. It’s been like that in the UFC since we started here. You don’t flinch when you lay hands on a woman.”
The 53-year-old manager said Wednesday he was particularly disappointed in himself for speaking out against violence against women.
“I was very headstrong about that and I still am,” he said. “It’s crazy that I’m even sitting here having this conversation with you guys.”
Anne White previously said in a statement to TMZ that the slap was “uncharacteristic.”
“There’s never been anything like it,” she says. “Unfortunately we both drank too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of hand on both sides. We discussed this as a family and we apologized to each other.”