The video, released by TMZ Sports, shows the couple get into a row at a crowded nightclub on New Year's Eve, prompting other people to intervene.

Dana White's wife Anne is seen striking her husband, before he slaps her back.

"You've heard me say for years there is never, ever an excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman and now here I am talking about it," Dana White told TMZ Sports.

"My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years, we've known each other since we were 12 years old, and we've obviously been through some stuff together. We've got three kids, and this is one of those situations which is horrible.

"I'm embarrassed, but it's also one of those situations where right now we're more concerned about our kids. Since the video popped up, we've shown our kids the video, and we're more focused on our family right now.

"People are going to have opinions on this, and most people's opinions will be right, especially in my case. You don't put your hands on a woman, ever."

White, 53, said he had been drinking that night but added "that's not an excuse".

"I'm literally making no excuses for this thing at all," he added.

He said he and his wife have since reconciled.

"It happened, I don't know why it happened, my wife and I have apologised to each other and apologised to our kids.

"That was the beginning of it and the end of it, and we're still on vacation. We had too much to drink and whatever happened that night happened, but that was it and it was done."