For the second time, [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] publicly addressed the domestic violence incident he had with his wife. And the big takeaway? Don’t expect anything in the way of punishment for the UFC president.
Making an unexpected appearance at UFC Fight Night 217 media day Wednesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, White spent almost 14 minutes answering questions about what happened with his wife, Anne, at a Mexican nightclub on New Year’s Eve. Video shows White and his wife in an argument, during which White grabs her by the wrist, causing her to slap him in the face. White then retaliates with two slaps and shoves her to the ground.
White said “plenty of discussions internally” have taken place with Ari Emanuel, the CEO of UFC parent company Endeavor, as well as executives from UFC broadcast partner ESPN. The indication from White, though, is that no repercussions will come down from either Endeavor, ESPN or self-imposed.
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The disturbing footage has sparked a group of female senators from California to call on Endeavor to remove White as UFC president. Nine days later, Emanuel remains silent.
To his credit, White hasn’t – and you can watch his full news conference in the video above or read a complete transcript below as he took questions from reporters on the incident itself and the fallout.