UFC's Hokit calls Michelle Obama 'a man' at White House
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- Josh Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis on the South Lawn Sunday night at the UFC Freedom 250 card, the biggest win of his career
- Hokit then told the postfight camera: "Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?" — drawing largely shocked silence on the South Lawn and mixed cheers and confused looks at the Ellipse watch party
- UFC CEO Dana White condemned the remark in a text to Time Magazine, saying he is "completely against saying nasty and false things about people's families," while reiterating his free-speech stance
- Hokit had previously called WNBA star Brittney Griner "a man" during a postfight interview at UFC 324 in January; White said afterward he "didn't love it"
- In a May ESPN interview promoting the White House card, White said he "never tells people what to say" and predicted: "bad things are going to happen to be said. That I can almost guarantee you"
- Hokit wrote on Instagram Monday: "I'm not here to be liked. I'm not here to be a role model. I don't care. I'm here to succeed"
- At a May news conference for the card, Hokit verbally attacked multiple fighters and had to be removed from the stage
- Before the Obama remark, Hokit gave President Trump a chain, praised him, and called out UFC heavyweight Alex Pereira, who also fought on the card
Why it matters: The incident marks the second time Hokit has used a postfight spotlight to make a derogatory remark about a Black woman, and the second time White's response was public disapproval with no apparent discipline — a pattern that puts White's stated commitment to unrestricted fighter speech in tension with the UFC's role as host at a federally owned venue. The White House, Michelle Obama's office, and Hokit's representatives had not returned requests for comment as of Monday.
