Josh Hokit mixed a strong UFC Freedom 250 performance against Derrick Lewis with offensive comments about former US first lady Michelle Obama.
The remarks drew criticism and quickly became part of the wider conversation around him.
Now UFC president Dana White has added his own criticism, while explaining why he thinks sometimes people should be open to hear such absurd things.
Dana White calls Josh Hokit’s Michelle Obama comments disgusting
White addressed the issue after Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card, which was headlined by Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi.
His response was direct, even if he also defended the broader principle of free speech.
“Disgusting. There’s always going to be people that say things that most of us don’t agree with. I mean, just the time, the place, you know…”
White then added: “I voted for Obama the first time, I didn’t vote for the second time. Then, when I was at the inauguration, he was sitting in front of me. And Obama was the only one that turned around to me, couldn’t have been a nicer guy and said, ‘Congratulations on all your success and everything that you’ve done.’ I said, ‘Thank you, Mr. President.’
“I don’t believe in this s—. Like all the people that hate Trump says, ‘He’s not my president.’ All the people, people that hated Obama said, ‘He’s not my president.’ I got some bad f—— news for you. If you’re an American, that’s your president. And I respect all presidents, present and past. Not everybody does.
“And you got to listen to f—— stupid s— like that sometimes, unfortunately, because I also believe in free speech,” he concluded.
Josh Hokit still looks set for huge UFC fights
The criticism around Hokit is serious, but it may not stop his sporting rise.
After beating Lewis, he moved to number four in the heavyweight rankings, putting him close to the title picture.
That creates a complicated situation for the UFC. Hokit has become a bigger name, but his remarks could harm the promotion’s image in the long term.
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