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UFC President Dana White told TIME on Monday he did not approve of one of his fighters calling former First Lady Michelle Obama a man.
At UFC Freedom 250 — the fight card staged on the White House lawn Sunday — 28-year-old Josh Hokit took on Derrick Lewis in a heavyweight bout. After winning by knockout, Hokit spoke to Joe Rogan for his post-fight interview. That’s when, completely unprompted, Hokit yelled out, “Michelle Obama is a man!”
In the hours since that moment, there’s been a great deal of outrage directed toward Hokit, the UFC, and even President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump was seated just feet away when Hokit’s comments were made, but Trump has yet to comment on the moment himself. A White House spokesperson was asked about Hokit after the event, but he simply offered praise without actually addressing the situation.
White, on the other hand, has since made it clear he was not a fan of Hokit’s remarks. A Monday morning report from TIME said:
The crowd reacted with a mix of laughter and groans. Rogan didn’t address Hokit’s slur in the moment or during the rest of the night’s fights. “I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White, the UFC CEO, told TIME in a text message. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.” The White House did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment about Hokit. In the leadup to the fight, White had said he didn’t see the White House card as political; rather, it was an event all Americans could enjoy. But Hokit’s remark created instant division.
It’s not the first time White has condemned the speech of one of his fighters while also insisting they have the right to say what they want. Last year, the UFC president revealed he was “beyond disgusted” by Bryce Mitchell’s praise of Adolf Hitler, but he added that Mitchell wouldn’t be punished because he was just exercising his First Amendment right to free speech.
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