UFC Dana White Slap: Ex ESPN reporter raps top media house for a toned down coverage of the domestic violence incident

UFC president Dana White's New Year's celebrations took an ugly turn when he got into a physical altercation with his wife. The controversy has since escalated and White has been widely criticized by mixed martial arts fans.

White and his wife Anne were celebrating New Year's Eve at El Squid Roe in Cabo San Lucas when the incident occurred. The footage indicates that White said something that prompted his wife to hit him and he responded by slapping her back.

Check out the incident below:

Former ESPN sportswriter and podcast host Dan Le Batard called out his former employers for their toned-down coverage of the incident involving the UFC's head honcho.

"I am curious how ESPN is going to cover the news of Dana White and video of him slapping his wife at New Year's festivities. Apologizing, saying there's no excuse, saying that he had been drinking. If it had been Roger Goodell or an owner of an NFL team, I imagine it would be covered with a great deal of zeal... This doesn't stay in the news stream unless there's media pressure, there needs to be a media pressure, there needs to be a media outrage about this in order for this to have consequences. They are the worldwide leader in sports!"

Le Batard urged ESPN to take the stand and create an outrage to prompt action against Dana White for his actions by terming them as the industry leader in sports coverage.

Check out his comments on the UFC president and ESPN in an excerpt from his LeBatardShow on Twitter:

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UFC president Dana White and his wife address their physical altercation

Dana White and his wife, Anne, both spoke to TMZ in an interview in the aftermath of their New Year's Eve tussle and played down the incident.

The UFC president agreed that his actions were unacceptable and issued an apology for the same.

"My wife and I were out Saturday night on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, that is what happened. I am one of the guys who say there is never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman and now here I am on TMZ talking about it."

His wife also requested privacy under the sensitive circumstances of her relationship and stated that they had resolved the issue internally.

"To say this is out of character for him is an understatement - 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."

Watch Dana White's interview with TMZ below: