Dana White's past comments re-emerge after he apologised for hitting his wife

Dana White might have apologised for slapping his wife, but the UFC president is under further scrutiny over his past comments on the topic.

Fans were left appalled by the footage from New Year's Eve, that caught White in an argument with his wife of 26 years, and saw him slap her in the face.

The 53-year-old and his wife were in a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas when the argument broke out just past midnight, where she slapped him.

The UFC president then reciprocated, appearing to hit her twice before a bit of a melee ensued and they had to be separated by security.

White spoke to TMZ, apologising for what he did and saying that he'd always reiterated that he'd always said "never hit a woman."

And it's certainly not the first time that the UFC chief has made that claim, as his comments from 2014, which have now re-emerged, have proved.

Speaking eight years ago by NFL star Ray Rice, who was arrested for hitting his then fiancee, White claimed that there was 'no coming back from it.'

"It's a tough one. First of all the video is horrifying. Absolutely horrifying. You're talking about a guy who's been in the fight business since he was 19 years old. It is the most disturbing thing you will ever see," the American told FOX Sports.

"The thing that's just as bad as the punch is that he shows no remorse after he does it. You know, if you did something in anger and you go, 'Oh my god. What did I do?' There's none of that with this guy.

"I don't know all the ins and outs of what Roger Goodell [NFL commissioner] did or knew or how it was handled but it's definitely bad. I can tell you this: I wouldn't want to be Roger Goodell.

"We've been human beings in letting these guys, other guys make up for what they've done and come back. There's one thing that you never bounce back from and that's putting your hands on a woman.

"Been that way in the UFC since we started here. You don't bounce back from putting your hands on a woman."

White's previous comments on a similar situation don't reflect well on him. Image: Alamy

Anne White, who has three children with her husband, also said it was something that had never happened between the pair before.

"To say this is out of character for him is an understatement -- nothing like this has ever happened before.

"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."

White has been synonymous with MMA's leading promotion for some time now but the president of the company has also branched out.

In October, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell confirmed that they had spoken to the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) about a desire to start a Slap Fighting league.

Slap Fighting is the latest combat sport in which competitors stand face to face from each other and take turns slapping their opponent in the face.