The beginning of this year was not fortunate for the UFC president, Dana White, as a video went viral on the first day of 2023 showing that the Irish American businessman slapped his wife twice in the VIP section of a nightclub in Mexico.

The couple is extremely embarrassed by their foolish behavior, and both of them later apologize publicly. Prior to UFC Fight Night 217, the 53-year-old spoke to the press about his punishment for that unwanted incident.

Dana considers that he is now labeled as a wife-beater and has lost the respect of many people, and that is the biggest punishment for him as he has to deal with it for the rest of his life.

“I’ve got to walk around for however long I live—is it 10.4 years or another 25 years? —and this is how I’m labeled now. My other punishment is that I’m sure a lot of people—whether it be media, fighters, friends, or acquaintances—who had respect for me might not have respect for me now. There are a lot of things I’m gonna have to deal with for the rest of my life that are much more of a punishment than, what, I take a 30–60-day absence?”

In the same event, Dana requested that everyone not defend him, as he considered that this type of incident did not have any excuses, but he also assured everyone that the incident that took place at the New Year’s Eve party was totally unintentional.

“One thing I do want to clarify … is the people that are defending me. There’s never an excuse. I’m sure you guys have read some of the same stuff that I’ve seen. There’s no defense for this. People should not be defending me, no matter what. All the criticism that I’ve received this week, and will receive in the future, is 100-percent warranted.”