Stephen A. Smith says UFC President Dana White should step down after slapping his wife of 26 years

Stephen A. Smith has hinted his friend Dana White should resign from the UFC after footage of him striking his wife surfaced on social media last week.

The outspoken ESPN analyst offered his stance on the issue during Wednesday's airing of First Take, reasoning if it had been one of his fighters the UFC president would have released them from the promotion immediately.

It comes less than a week after White found himself at the center of controversy, when video surfaced of him slapping his wife Anne White while ringing in the New Year at a Cabo, Mexico, nightclub. The widely seen footage shows Anne slap White in the face, to which he responds by striking her back with considerable force.

The clip has already been viewed by millions on social media, and spurred White, 53, to air a public apology, with his wife telling reporters her husband's actions 'were out of character.' 

The greater public, however, have been less forgiving - with many, including Smith, citing the litany of fighters that have been nixed from White's UFC due to various instances of domestic abuse.

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The outspoken ESPN analyst offered his stance on the issue during Wednesday's airing of First Take, reasoning that if it had been one of his fighters, the UFC president would have released them from the promotion immediately

It comes less than a week after White found himself at the center of controversy, when video surfaced of him slapping his wife Anne White at a Cabo nightclub. The footage shows Anne slap White in the face, to which he responds by striking her back with considerable force

The 55-year-old Bronx native proceeded to lay into White on Wednesday, when asked by fellow host Molly Qerim what she thought White's punishment should be.

'My immediate response to that is whatever discipline he should face is the kind of discipline he would impose on someone he oversees,' Smith said, speaking to his colleague in a somewhat somber tone. 'That would be consistent with who he is.' 

Smith proceeded to point to his friendship with White, which the commentator, known for his oft-controversial opinions - goes beyond sports and that the two are very close personally. 

'He's a friend; I love the guy,' Smith added. 'This is a very hard subject for me. We talk all the time.

'We've certainly connected briefly since this happened. He knew there was no way on earth that I wasn't gonna talk about it.' 

Smith then offered his condolences to White's family - particularly Dana and Anne's three children, Dana, Savannah, and Aidan - who he said were put in an 'embarrassing' situation by the highly-publicized incident, which spurred the couple to each issue statements in explanation.

'My heart goes out to his family because this is a very, very embarrassing situation,' Smith went on, before addressing White's recent video apology to TMZ, in which the MMA boss said he was 'embarrassed' by the footage for which he conceded he has 'no excuse.'

The 55-year-old Bronx native proceeded to lay into White on Wednesday, when asked by fellow host Molly Qerim what she thought White's punishment should be

'He says it has never happened before,' Smith said of White, who he has had on his show in the past and whom he considers a 'friend.' 

'He's completely ashamed and utterly disgusted with himself,' Smith continued, 'that he finds himself in this situation - that he would have ever done such a thing to a woman he's been married to for 30 years.' 

Citing White's apology, Smith added: 'He makes no excuses for it, and I think it's important to point that out.'

Smith mentioned White's wife's own statement to TMZ Sports, in which insisted her husband's actions were 'out of character' before reiterating that White, 'In the end, [is] not making any excuses.'

During his diatribe, Smith reference White's recent video apology to TMZ, in which the MMA boss said he was 'embarrassed' by the footage, for which he said he has 'no excuse' 

He then alluded other high profile domestic abuse situations involving other fighters - such as recently released lightweight Luis Pena and light-heavyweight Thiago Silva - stating that how the UFC handles this situation should follow the example set by the promotions actions toward athletes found guilty of domestic abuse.

'It's certainly not for me nor anybody out there to make an excuse because particularly in the times that we're living in, and with all the things that we've learned and the kinds in inordinate amount of times we've had to address subjects like this, we have to maintain consistency,' Smith said. 

'You do not put your hands on a woman if you are a man.'

Smith went on to allude how he thought White should be punished in a similar manner to fighters in his stable.

'All I can say is, is that, again, he has spoken out against men who put their hands on women before, and whatever punishment you would exact under these circumstances to somebody else, is what he should apply to himself.'

He added: 'But I love him.'

White has been married to his partner Anne for 26 years and the pair have three children 

It is not yet clear what the intense scrutiny currently leveled at White will yield in the coming days - though back in 2014, White said that there is no coming back for UFC fighters who were violent to women.

Since then, the UFC President - who purchased the promotion in 2001 for 2million and has since helped build it up into the $10billion empire it is today - has dished out somewhat inconsistent punishments for fighters using their fists out of the cage.

Last year, the promotion released rising lightweight Luis Pena for 'putting hands on two women' - including his girlfriend -  in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and simple battery. The case is still making its way through the Florida courts.

Also nixed by the promotion was contender and potential Hall of Famer Thiago Silva, who was released after being arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder in February 2014, after an incident that saw him threaten his wife Thaysa and her new partner with a handgun at the man's gym.

Smith said White's punishment shoul coincide with those leveled on other high profile domestic abusers in the fighting league - such as recently released lightweight Luis Pena (left) and light-heavyweight Thiago Silva (right) - who both were accused of domestic abuse. Neither were convicted of a crime

The incident eventually led to the Brazilian's release from UFC, despite the exact details of what happened at the time remaining murky. The charges were eventually dropped, but Silva was never reentered to the fighting league.

Standout welterweight Mike Perry also recently parted ways with the UFC after being accused by his ex-girlfriend Danielle Nickerson - a social media influencer who controversially served as Perry's sole cornerperson for several fights - of hitting her.

No charges were officially filed, and Perry left the UFC as the allegations spread through the media, and did not renew his contract.

Meanwhile, fighters such as Jon Jones and Conor McGregor - who have both come under fire for engaging in instances of violence outside the ring -  remain with the promotion.

Fronting up about the incident to TMZ, the UFC chief said: 'My wife and I were out Saturday night on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately that is what happened.

Meanwhile, fighters such as Conor McGregor - who  is seen here striking a man in a Dublin bar for allegedly making fun of the fighter's Whiskey brand - remain with the promotion

'I am one of the guys who says there is never, ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman and now here I am on TMZ talking about it.

'This is one of those situations that is horrible. I am embarrassed. We have three kids and since the video popped up, we have shown the kids and we are more focused on our family right now.

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

His wife Anne is quoted by TMZ as saying: '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.'

Back in 2014, White reiterated the promotion's strict stance on fighters who raise their hands against their respective partners.

White - who has headed up the UFC since 2001 - previously said there would be no way back for fighters who were violent to women

'There's one thing that you never bounce back from and that's putting your hands on a woman,' he said. 'Been that way in the UFC since we started here. You don't bounce back from putting your hands on a woman.'

Where White goes from here will be the focus of intense scrutiny in the coming days.

The next UFC card is slated for January 14 in Las Vegas, where he would normally be expected to attend in person. 

'My legacy and all this other stuff with work doesn't mean anything to me,' White added. 'It's all about your family. It's about your wife and kids.'