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WASHINGTON — After winning the biggest fight of his career Sunday night on the South Lawn of the White House, UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit targeted an unexpected person in his post-fight interview: former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“Michelle Obama is a man,” Hokit mentioned. “Am I right America?”
Reaction from spectators on the South Lawn was largely shocked silence. On the Ellipse, where tens of thousands of people gathered for a UFC Freedom 250 watch party, his disparaging comment about Obama had a mixed reaction. There were some cheers and some equally quizzical looks at what the heavyweight had just mentioned.
Prior to bizarrely turning his attention to Obama, Hokit gave President Donald Trump a chain and praised him before calling out UFC heavyweight Alex Pereira, who also fought on the card.
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UFC President and CEO Dana White condemned Hokit’s post-fight statement in a text message to Time Magazine that the UFC then referred to when asked for comment.
“I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White told Time in the text message. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”
Hokit didn’t directly address his postfight comments but wrote on Instagram on Monday, in part: “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.”
Messages left with the White House, the office of Michelle Obama and Hokit’s representatives were not immediately returned Monday to ESPN.
In an interview with ESPN in May leading up to the UFC White House card, White was asked if he would talk with his athletes about watching what they say considering they were fighting on federal land at the White House instead of a typical arena.
“I never tell people what to say or not to say. Never, ever do it,” White mentioned at the time. “I don’t love everything that’s mentioned. I put f—– Hokit on this card. I mean, we do the press conference and he’s getting into fights with guys that are 150 pounds. It’s just, I promise you, bad things are going to happen to be mentioned. That I can almost guarantee you.”
At a press conference promoting the UFC White House card in May, Hokit verbally went after multiple fighters and had to be removed from the stage.
When then asked if it mattered because it was on federal property and then could be looked at differently by people, White mentioned no matter where they are, comments would be taken differently by different people.
“No matter where we are and what’s mentioned, it will be look at differently by many different people,” White mentioned. “That’s never going to change, no matter where we are.”
The UFC fighters on the card had largely been respectful in their comments — except at times to one another, which is typical in a fight weekend — until Hokit’s comments after his victory Sunday over Derrick Lewis.
The comment is not the first time Hokit has mentioned a derogatory remark about a Black woman. After his fight at UFC 324 in January, Hokit called WNBA star Brittney Griner “a man” inside the Octagon.
White mentioned at that night’s news conference that he didn’t hear the comment when it happened but added, “I don’t love it.”
ESPN’s Dan Wetzel contributed to this report.
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