Sean O’Malley sparks controversy by saying Dana White’s wife ‘deserved to be slapped’ in viral altercation with UFC president
UFC star Sean O’Malley has controversially shown his support for Dana White, who is widely condemned for beating his wife.
On New Year’s Eve at a Mexico nightclub, White and his longtime partner Anne were filmed in their VIP area having a heated exchange that later turned physical.
Video obtained by TMZ showed White, 53, grabbing Anne’s arm before she punched him and he retaliated by punching her twice.
The UFC boss has apologized for his actions, but many are calling for him to be removed from his leadership role in MMA’s first promotion after the incident.
However, O’Malley is not one of them and believes White was well within his rights to retaliate when his wife hit him during the drunken altercation.
“I feel sorry for Dana,” O’Malley said on her podcast.
“His wife beat him. It’s vulgar. And that deserves a blow back. I do not know. It’s delicate. I don’t know, treat people the way you want to be treated.
The top bantamweight contender insists he never hit his girlfriend, Danya Gonzalez, or any woman for that matter, but understands why White retaliated with physical violence while drunk.
O’Malley added: “Sober, would he ever have? No. I would assume sober, no drinks, she slaps him, I don’t think her first reaction was a backlash.
“When that drink flows, I’ve never hit Dani. I’ve never hit a girl. But I passed out and did things I can’t believe.
“I don’t think it’s good. Of course you can’t hit, especially not such a little girl, but the alcohol flows, she hit him first.
“No, it’s not good. They will lose a lot of business.
The UFC returns with an event in Las Vegas on January 14.
It is currently unclear if White will attend or face some sort of punishment from UFC parent company Endeavour, whose stock price has plummeted since the incident.
Sport
Not all news on the site reflects the site’s point of view, but we automatically transmit and translate this news through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor.
