Endeavor shares fall after video shows UFC boss Dana White hitting wife on New Year’s Eve
Dana White appears at the UFC 282 post-fight press conference on December 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Amy Kaplan | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
Media and entertainment company Endeavor saw its shares fall on Tuesday after a video showing Dana White, the president of its Ultimate Fighting Championship business, slapping his wife.
Endeavor shares were down more than 8% on Tuesday afternoon.
This week, a video published by TMZ showed White getting into an altercation with his wife, Anne, at a New Year’s Eve party in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. In the video, it appears the two are arguing before Anne White slaps Dana White. He then slaps her.
Endeavor and the UFC didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
White issued a public apology Monday, according to media reports. Anna White also issued a separate statement to TMZ, calling it isolated incident.
White is synonymous with UFC, having served as its president since 2001.
In 2014, White spoke out about domestic violence after Ray Rice of the NFL assaulted his fiance, saying you “don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman,” according to media reports. “Been that way in the UFC since we started here.”
Following the comments, White also revealed the UFC screens people for domestic violence.
Hollywood powerhouse Endeavor began as a talent agency and was co-founded by one of the industry’s most recognizable agents, Ari Emanuel. Endeavor has bulked up over the years through a series of acquisitions, owning and managing live events like the Miami Open and the Miss Universe international beauty pageant.
Endeavor acquired a controlling interest in the UFC, a popular mixed martial arts league, in 2016. It took full ownership of UFC in 2021, the year Endeavor had its initial public offering, according to a securities filing.
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