Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White publicly slapping his wife has gone stunningly underdiscussed

Content warning: This section contains mention of domestic violence.

The GIST: Blame it on the holiday-break news cycle, or the fact that one of the biggest sports media companies discouraged its employees from writing anything “incendiary” about it, but Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White publicly slapping his wife has gone stunningly underdiscussed.

• We don’t usually talk about UFC, but we have to talk about this.

The background: From controversially supporting former U.S. President Donald Trump in his re-election campaign to underpaying UFC fighters, Dana White is no stranger to making the wrong kind of headlines.

• Now he’s attempting to control the narrative once again, this time after being seen on camera slapping his wife during a New Year’s Eve party. Disgusting.

The response: It’s been disappointing to say the least, with the biggest repercussion being that the start of White’s new slap fighting league, which was originally set to begin broadcasting today, was postponed to next week. That’ll show him.

• Meanwhile, Endeavor, UFC’s parent company, and ESPN, which holds a five year, $1.5 billion broadcast deal with the organization, have yet to comment, with ESPN facing deserved criticism for their noticeably soft coverage of the situation.

What’s next: The California Legislative Women’s Caucus sent a letter to Endeavor’s CEO on Monday, calling for White’s immediate removal as UFC president. But if the org’s history of handling domestic violence cases is any indicator, it’s unlikely White will be ousted.

• That said, White himself previously stated in 2014 that “you don’t bounce back from putting your hands on a woman.” Let’s hope that rings true.