CNN
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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White says he doesn’t expect punishment after a video of a physical altercation with his wife surfaced earlier this month. White made the comments at a media day for UFC Fight Night 217 on Wednesday.
Asked if he expected a response from the company, White said: “What should the response be? Tell me. Do I take 30 days off? How does that hurt me?
“My departure hurts the company, hurts my staff, hurts the fighters. It doesn’t hurt me.
“What is my punishment? Here’s my punishment: I have to walk around for as long as I live…and now I’m marked as such.
“The punishment is that I did it, and now I have to deal with it.”
In the video, obtained by TMZ, White and his wife Anne are seen arguing before exchanging slaps at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on New Year’s Eve. Neither White nor his wife are facing legal charges over the incident.
White claimed that he, Endeavor CEO and UFC owner Ari Emanuel and broadcaster ESPN had conversations about what course of action was appropriate.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions internally – with Ari, with ESPN – nobody’s happy,” the 53-year-old said. “No one is happy about it. neither am i But it happened.”
White also said he was not trying to make excuses for his behavior and reiterated his stance on domestic violence.
“There’s no excuse… there’s no defense for this and people aren’t going to defend me on this, no matter what.”
On Monday, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus wrote an open letter to Emanuel and Endeavor calling for White to be replaced as UFC president.
“Given Mr. White’s previous comments against domestic partner violence, we believe that Endeavor and the UFC share this commitment to safety, respect and accountability,” the letter read.
“And yet, we saw the video of UFC president Dana White, where he hit his wife on New Year’s Eve… we were shocked. It was worrying to say the least. You have been silent since the release of the video.
“We call for the immediate removal of Mr. White as president of the UFC.”
CNN reached out to Endeavor for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
When contacted for comment, ESPN only said in a brief statement: “We have been covering the story on our platform since it broke and will continue to do so.”
TBS has delayed the premiere of Dana White’s reality series Power Slap: Road to the Title by one week to January 18. TBS and CNN are Warner Bros. Part of the Discovery Network.