Dana White earns his money by fighting male and female fighters in an octagonal ring until one of the two can no longer defend himself. Because White is the powerful boss of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Now a video has appeared that puts the UFC boss in dire straits: the 53-year-old entrepreneur hit a woman.

The footage shows White and his wife Anne having a heated argument at a nightclub in the Mexican city of Cabo San Lucas. According to the US portal “TMZ”, the couple’s scuffle broke out shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day. The cutscene shows White saying something to his 26-year-old wife before she slaps him in the face.

In return, the UFC President also hits his wife in the head and then launches further blows before the couple can be separated. Shortly after the attack, White commented on the incident: “I’m one of those guys who says there’s never an excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman. And now I’m here on TMZ talking about it.”

The entrepreneur probably didn’t even try to gloss over the situation because of the clear pictures: “It’s one of those situations that are terrible. I’m embarrassed.” He admitted that I had consumed a lot of alcohol before the slap, but also conceded that it was still no excuse for hitting someone.

Anne White even protected her partner against “TMZ”. “To say this is out of character for him is an understatement – nothing like this has ever happened before,” she shared in a statement of her own. “Unfortunately we both drank too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of hand, on both sides. We discussed it as a family and we apologized to each other.”

A few years ago, White had clearly positioned himself on the issue of violence against women. At the time, when asked about Baltimore Ravens football pro Ray Rice, who assaulted his fiancé, White replied: “There’s one thing you never recover from and that’s touching a woman. It’s been like that in the UFC since we started here.” Sentences that the UFC boss is now putting to the test himself with his outbreak of violence.

The White couple said they “hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our children.”

If you are a victim of violence, the “Violence against Women” helpline offers help. The advice service is available nationwide around the clock on 08000 116 016. Qualified counselors provide confidential advice to women seeking help on all forms of violence.