UFC President Dana White has issued a response to a video that showed him slapping his wife, Anne, during an altercation that occurred on New Year's Eve.

White and his wife, who have been married for 26 years, were celebrating the New Year at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico when the incident occurred.

According to a video obtained by TMZ, Anne was seen with her head in her hands as the couple and their group stood on a balcony overlooking the dance floor.

When Anne turned to White, he reached out to touch one of her hands, but she slapped him in the face. White then hit her back.

After the initial altercation, the couple continued to struggle with each other until friends intervened and separated them.

White has emphasized that there is "never ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman," stating that he has held this belief for years, but that the situation has now brought him to the point of discussing it on TMZ.

"This is one of those situations that's horrible, I'm embarrassed," White said, adding: "But it's also one of those situations that is... right now, we're more concerned about our kids."

White declared that "people are going to have opinions" about the altercation and acknowledged that "most of the people's opinions will be right, especially in my case."

"You don't put your hands on a woman, ever," he said. "My wife and I obviously 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."

Anne also spoke to TMZ about the incident, stating that it was out of character for the couple and that "nothing like this has ever happened before." She said: "Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years. To say this is out of character for him is an understatement."

"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 apologized to each other. I just hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our kids."

White acknowledged that there was "a lot of alcohol involved" during the evening, but emphasized that this is not an excuse for what happened.

"It's never happened before, it's the first time that it's ever happened... and whatever people say it's deserved, I deserve it."