In the past, Dana White has “gone overboard” during conflicts with his wife – at least, those were the words of the UFC president’s mother, June White, back in 2011.
That year, June published an unauthorized biography of her son titled “Dana White, King of MMA,” and in it, she revealed details about the “vindictive tyrant” he turned into as he rose to fame while building the UFC into the top combat sports promotion in the world.
“I don’t want to take anything away from him, for what he’s done for MMA and the UFC. I mean, Dana has a high school education, and that’s it. I think it’s pretty amazing, the things he’s been able to do in MMA and the UFC, but he’s not a good person,” June said in a 2011 interview. “He seems to have lost his character somewhere along the way. He mistreats people. It’s terrible the way he speaks to women and treats women. That really bothers me, because I don’t believe I’ve ever brought him up to behave like that.”
The nearly 12-year-old interview – meant to publicize June’s book released in May 2011 – has taken on new meaning in the wake of Dana’s recent domestic violence incident with his wife, Anne White, which was captured on video on New Year’s Eve at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The footage, released by TMZ this past Monday, showed the couple in an apparent argument. At one point, Dana grabbed Anne by the wrist as she turned away, which prompted her to slap him in the face. Dana retaliated with two slaps and shoved her to the ground before the video cut away.
In an interview with TMZ, Dana White, 53, owned up to his actions and said he was “embarrassed” by what transpired, essentially chalking it up as a heated moment that went too far between two people who love each other.
Anne White, 53, hasn’t spoken publicly, but a statement was issued on her behalf in coordination with Dana’s interview.
“Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years,” said Anne, who has three kids with Dana. “To say this is out of character for him is an understatement – nothing like this has ever happened before.”
June White’s interview from 2011 raises questions about that assertion. At the time, she “had a hard time” with Dana’s marriage to Anne and called it “a joke.”
“Everyone knows that he puts Tiger Woods to shame,” June said, accusing her son of repeatedly cheating on his wife. “Plenty of the ring card girls sleep with him. There’s two of them I know for sure. … He slept with his sister-in-law in my house, which made me absolutely furious.”
June insinuated that her son’s infidelity led to other past instances of domestic violence between the couple, which would’ve occurred years before this past New Year’s Eve incident.
“I mean, he goes after any girl he wants and usually gets them,” June said. “His wife is – they’re constantly fighting. The honeymoon, she gave him the worst black eye I’ve ever seen and nearly lost his eye. So I don’t know if that’s his way of handling that, but he’s gone overboard with handling that.”
As of this writing, Dana White hasn’t faced any known punishment for the New Year’s Eve altercation with his wife. The UFC and the promotion’s parent company, Endeavor, haven’t commented on the situation. The UFC declined when reached by MMA Junkie.