Endeavor Stock Falls After Video Goes Viral Of Dana White Slapping His Wife

Dana White slapping his wife could be expensive for shareholders of Endeavor Group Holdings.

White is the president of UFC, the mixed martial arts promoter owned by Endeavor. A video of White hitting his wife at a New Year’s Eve party in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, went viral Monday. As of noon Tuesday, shares of Endeavor were down over 5%, to $21.53, while the S&P 500 had fallen less than 1%.

White told TMZ he regrets the altercation, which he said was fueled by too much alcohol. He said he and his wife, Anne, have known each other since they were 12 years old and have been married 26 years. “I’m embarrassed,” he told TMZ.

“You’ve heard me say for years, ‘There’s never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman,’” White said in the interview, “and now here I am on TMZ talking about it.”

UFC is by far the most profitable segment of Endeavor in terms of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin. It contributes about $1 billion, or 20%, of the company’s total revenue.

Endeavor purchased a controlling interest in UFC in 2016 at a $4 billion valuation and bought the remaining part in 2021.

Since going public in May 2021, shares of Endeavor are down 21% compared with a decline of 9% for the broader market. Private equity firm Silver Lake Group, which owns almost 32% of the stock, is the company’s largest shareholder.

In 2018, UFC signed a five-year, $1.5 billion TV deal with ESPN, after which White reportedly said UFC was worth $7 billion.