Sean O Malley says Dana White was justified in slapping his wife

Sean O'Malley is weighing in on the controversy surrounding Dana White after a video was released of the UFC president slapping his wife at a nightclub on New Year's Eve.

During episode #91 of his BroMalley show, 'Sugar' believes that White was genuine in his apology. He added that alcohol being a factor in the incident made it difficult, saying:

"He came out with an apology which I watched. I thought he said everything he needed to say but it seemed genuine. God, it's hard with alcohol. There's two things, alcohol and chicks don't mix." {9:51 - 10:08}

Sean O'Malley also added that he believes the UFC president was justified for hitting his wife during the alcohol-fuelled altercation, which he has received plenty of backlash for on social media. He mentioned that alcohol is to blame and doesn't believe Dana White was abusive in his reaction:

"I would assume sober, no drinks, she slaps him, I don't think his initial reaction is to slap back. When that alcohol's flowing, I've never hit a girl but I've been blacked out and I've done things that I can't believe I've done...I don't think it was right. Obviously, you should not hit, especially a little girl like that. But alcohol is flowing, and she hit him first." [10:49 - 11:19]

It remains to be seen whether the UFC owners at Endeavor or their TV rights partner, ESPN, will have to change their tone on the matter if they continue to receive backlash. The premiere of Dana White's new Power Slap league was pushed back by a week on TBS as a result of the incident on New Year's Eve.

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Ariel Helwani puts Dana White on blast for New Year's Eve incident

It is clear that there is no love lost between Dana White and MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. There was a time when the two had very friendly discussions and debates that led to memorable interviews, but those days are definitely long gone.

The UFC president has been at odds with Helwani since 2016, with The MMA Hour host mentioning that White had interfered and robbed him of career opportunities.

The Canadian MMA journalist has not shied away from responding to personal attacks and addressed the New Year's Eve incident on his most recent episode of The MMA Hour, and directed a question at the UFC president, saying:

"What are your kids going to say about your legacy? About the way you treat fighters. About the way you treat people. About your business practices. What are your kids going to say about that video? What are your kids going to say about the kind of person you are? What are your kids going to say about you? Ask yourself that f**king question."