- Fighter made a false, offensive claim about Michelle Obama’s gender during a post-fight interview
- Trump appeared to smile in response, while UFC left the comment out of social media clips
- The incident revealed an ongoing pattern of racist attacks against the former First Lady
More like Amerikkka 250.
A shamelessly intolerant moment That of President Donald Trump The “Freedom 250” UFC event on the White House lawn has sparked widespread backlash after heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit used a long-debunked and wildly offensive conspiracy theory about former First lady Michelle Obama during a post-fight interview.
According to The everyday beastThe incident occurred after Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis by TKO (technical knockout) during the unusual UFC card staged as part of celebrations for both America’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 80th birthday. After thanking Trump for organizing the event and praising Jesus Christ during an interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Hokit abruptly declared, “Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?!” a repetition of a false claim that has been circulating in racist far-right circles for years. The insult was met with an audible roar of approval from the crowd.
The comment immediately sparked controversy and began to overshadow the flashy event itself. Reports indicated that crowd reactions were mixed, with some attendees cheering, while others appeared bewildered or disapproving. The conspiracy theory against Michelle Obama has been widely debunked, but has persisted online for more than a decade.
Of course, Trump boots like Dan Bongino find this kind of behavior cute.
A major focus of the fallout was Trump’s response. CNN, quoted by The Daily Beast, reported that the president appeared to give a slight or “half smile” after Hokit’s comment. However, observers also noted that Trump later removed a medallion or chain that Hokit had placed around his neck after the victory. The White House did not immediately respond publicly to the controversy.
It should be noted that this incident occurred just months after Trump faced intense backlash for sharing a racist social media post depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys, a post that was later deleted but for which he refused to apologize. It’s easy to see how this latest ad hominem attack on the first Black First Lady could have fueled previous attacks that were ignored or championed by MAGA and conservatives in general.
The UFC also faced criticism for its handling of the situation. According to reports, Hokit’s offensive comment was omitted from clips posted by UFC social media accounts, although unedited versions remained available elsewhere online. UFC CEO Dana White later condemned the comment, while public figures and commentators from across the political spectrum criticized the fighter’s statement as insulting, false and deeply disrespectful.
Hopefully someone catches Hokit outside the ring and wins via TKO.
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