UFC CEO Dana White has denounced heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit’s joke calling former First Lady Michelle Obama “a man,” telling TIME that he is “completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families.”
Hokit made his widely condemned comments Sunday at the UFC Freedom 250 fight night, which was held on the White House Lawn in honor of both President Trump’s 80th birthday and America’s 250th birthday this year. After defeating fellow American Derrick Lewis in the event’s fourth fight, Hokit said in his post-fight interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, “Shout out to Trump for having the balls to put on some s—t like this.”
The fighter, who is known for his exaggerated heel persona, concluded his post-fight interview by joking, “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
“I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White, who has previously stated he is not a fan of Hokit’s heel persona, wrote in a text message to TIME in response to Hokit’s comments. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”
When reached for a comment about Hokit’s disparaging remarks toward the former first lady, White House spokesman Steven Cheung reportedly told CNN’s Jake Tapper of Hokit, “He had a great win last night. He showed toughness and the ability to pressure his opponent both on his feet and on the ground.”
President Trump sat cageside at the UFC Freedom 250 event, the same day that the president announced the U.S. and Iran have reached an agreement to be signed this coming Friday that will bring an end to the war between the two countries that began in late February. Hokit’s comments nonetheless garnered attention Sunday night, drawing incisive reactions from many online.
“The fighter yelling ‘Michelle Obama is a man,’ at an official White House event to honor America is utterly unacceptable and the administration should denounce it in no uncertain terms,” Fox News columnist David Marcus wrote on X. “I’ve defended the administration’s America 250 plans, because I trusted they really would be non-partisan, really would bring us together. But I was wrong.”
Democratic Texas Congressman Christian Menefee also torched the incident.
“They really let a UFC fighter call our only Black First Lady a man on the White House lawn at an official White House event … while thousands cheered and the biggest podcaster in the world smiled,” Menefee wrote on X. “There is no economic policy fix for this. Many of these people are just racist.”
“‘Michelle Obama is a man’ shouted on the White House lawn in a ring sponsored by Bud Light only available on Larry Ellison’s Paramount Plus,” commented MS NOW analyst and “Bulwark Podcast” host Tim Miller. “What a way to celebrate America 250 and the twilight of liberal democracy.”
Hokit, notably, was not included in the original UFC Freedom 250 lineup. Per TIME, the fighter was only added after Trump asked White in April why Hokit’s Sunday night opponent Derrick Lewis was not on any of the event’s match cards. Lewis was subsequently added to the Freedom 250 lineup and, following his defeat of fighter Curtis Blaydes in April, Hokit was chosen as Lewis’ opponent on the White House lawn.
