Dana White has once more put distance between the UFC and Josh Hokit after the heavyweight’s remark about Michelle Obama at UFC Freedom 250. Talking on “The Pivot,” White referred to as the comment “f*cking gross, inappropriate, and clearly not the opinion of the UFC,” including that it was “a extremely unlucky factor to occur that evening.”
Hokit made the remark after stopping Derrick Lewis by second-round TKO through the UFC card held on the White House South Garden. In his post-fight interview, Hokit thanked President Donald Trump, spoke about his religion after which repeated the false conspiracy declare that Michelle Obama is a person, asking the gang, “Am I proper, America?” The second instantly shifted consideration away from the win and unfold throughout MMA and political media.
Dana White Goes Off on Josh Hokit: “It’s Not the Opinion of the UFC”
White had already condemned Hokit’s remarks in a message following the occasion. Whereas restating his place that fighters are free to talk their minds, the UFC CEO mentioned he was towards “nasty and false issues” being mentioned about individuals’s households and referred to as the assertion “nonsense.”
His newest response was extra direct. White mentioned the UFC’s White Home occasion was supposed as a serious evening for the promotion, with President Trump in attendance and the corporate staging fights at a landmark venue. As a substitute, Hokit’s unscripted post-fight line turned a headline for the flawed motive. “It’s f*cking gross, inappropriate, and clearly not the opinion of the UFC. It was a extremely unlucky factor to occur that evening.”
Hokit has not apologized. Throughout an look on “The Ariel Helwani Present,” he claimed he thought he was paying Michelle Obama a praise, arguing that he meant she had dealt with adversity and labored onerous. He additionally used the fallout to make a degree about free speech and mentioned he wouldn’t backtrack from his assertion.
The reason did little to ease the criticism. Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis mentioned Hokit was “getting in his personal means,” calling the remark irrelevant to the setting and a joke that “didn’t land in any respect.” Du Plessis additionally prompt the heavyweight was making an attempt too onerous to be humorous at a time when his unbeaten report and knockout win over Lewis ought to have been the main target.
For White, there’s a clear separation between permitting a fighter to talk and treating that speech as UFC messaging. Hokit was not disciplined over the remark, and he later mentioned the UFC had not contacted him about it, however White has made it clear the promotion doesn’t stand behind the comment.
