There are moments in combat sports that seem bigger than the fights themselves. Press conferences spiral. Champions fall. Sometimes the headlines have little to do with the Octagon. In January 2023, Dana White found himself in the midst of one such incident.

New Year’s Eve footage from a Mexican nightclub revealed a physical incident between him and his wife, Anne. It was ugly, so it definitely went viral. And it wasn’t something the UFC CEO could simply promote his way out of. Now, years later, in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, White didn’t dodge it.

Dana White opens up on the 2023 physical altercation and the guilt that followed

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t blame alcohol,” Dana White told CBS. “It didn’t jump down my throat, you know. It was one of those things that never should have happened that did on the world stage. You know, it’s just something that we had to deal with as a family, and we did, and we moved on.”

No excuses. No soft landing. He called it what it was: something that never should have happened. It is worth noting that even back in 2023, the UFC head honcho had already apologized publicly and told reporters no one should defend him.

“There’s never an excuse,” Dana White told TMZ. “There’s no defense for this, and people should not be defending me, no matter what. All the criticism I’ve received this week is 100% warranted.”

When asked about consequences, Dana White rejected the notion that a suspension would solve anything. According to him, his biggest punishment is the fact that he will have to walk around with the guilt for however long he lives, and this is how he’ll be seen now by fans worldwide. He acknowledged that some people had undoubtedly lost respect for him and that this would follow him forever.

“You don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman,” he added in the TMZ interview.

And honestly, that line stuck, and it still hovers over the situation today. For Dana White, the reflection seems less about corporate fallout and more about personal reckoning, as years after the incident, the UFC CEO hasn’t changed his tone on the guilt and repercussions of his actions.

“When you go through something like that, you wake up the next day, and you gotta look in the mirror and say, ‘How did that happen, and how do we make sure that never happens again?'” he added in the recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning.

It wasn’t a promo or a deflection. Simply blunt honesty from the man who relives that moment in his mind a hundred times over. But this guilt hasn’t stopped him from helping other people around him. In fact, the UFC CEO recently offered TikTok star Peter Fouad life advice that warns him about the dangers of making millions.

White speaks out about how money changes everything

That same self-awareness showed up in a completely different setting recently: a viral video featuring TikTok street photographer Peter Fouad. When asked for life advice, Dana White didn’t talk corporate strategy or billion-dollar agreements. He kept things simple.

“Listen, if you’re miserable when you’re broke, you’re going to be really miserable when you make some money, trust me,” the head honcho said. “The key to life is just be happy. Figure out what you like to do, get up and do it every day, and be as happy as you can possibly be. Some of the happiest moments of my life were when I was broke.”

It was a measured response from someone who helped build the UFC into a multibillion-dollar organization and is said to have a net worth of more than $500 million. When Fouad asked if money changes things for the better, Dana White didn’t hesitate to speak the truth.

“Not always,” he added. “If you’re happy when you’re broke, you should be happy when you have some money.”

It’s an intriguing contrast. On the one hand, he’s the face of a combat sports empire expanding into boxing and Power Slap, fueled by momentum and massive partnerships. On the other hand, he warns that money only magnifies who you already are. For someone who’s spoken openly about having to live with mistakes forever, maybe that perspective makes sense.