Oscar De La Hoya didn't pass up the opportunity to take a shot at Dana White after footage emerged showing the UFC president slapping his wife.
White was partying in Mexico with his wife Anne to celebrate the New Year when an argument broke out between the pair, which was filmed by clubbers. In the video, White could be seen grabbing his wife's arm before she slapped him across the face. White then slapped her twice before the rowing couple were separated.
Former boxing world champion De La Hoya has now mocked White for the incident, writing: "My good friend Dana White is so greedy he decided to steal fighter pay from his new league on TBS ‘Power Slap’ by getting fighter of the night against his wife. He also mocked White's days as a boxercise instructor by adding: "Those Boston aerobic instructors are real tough guys."
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White's wife has since given her side of the altercation, explaining that it was out of character for her husband to get physical whilst insisting that this was the first time such an incident had taken place. "To say this is out of character for him is an understatement," she told TMZ.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before. Unfortunately, we were both drinking too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of control, on both sides. We’ve talked this through as a family and apologised to each other. I just hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our kids."
White has faced calls to step down from his role as UFC boss after a 2014 interview resurfaced in which he stated you can "never bounce back from putting your hands on a woman." The 53-year-old admitted the situation he and his wife are in is "horrible", especially for their children.
"We’ve got three kids and this is one of those situations that’s horrible, I’m embarrassed, but it’s also one of those situations that right now, we’re more concerned about our kids. People are going to have opinions on this, and most of the people’s opinions would be right, especially in my case. You don’t put your hands on a woman ever. My wife and I love each other, we’ve been together for a very long time. We’ve known each other since we were very little, and this is just one of those unfortunate situations," White said.
White and De La Hoya first started butting heads when the boxing promoter criticised a crossover fight between former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor and ring legend Floyd Mayweather in 2017. De La Hoya has since accused White of underpaying his fighters but reached out with a peace vow to make amends with the UFC boss last year.
