‘Absolute Trash’: UFC Fighter Sparks Intense Ire for Calling Michelle Obama a Man at Trump’s White House Fight Night
(Alex Brandon/AP photo)
UFC fighter Josh Hokit was slapped with a huge wave of backlash after he called former First Lady Michelle Obama a man after his match at President Donald Trump’s White House fight night.
On Sunday, UFC Freedom 250 was held on the White House lawn. In the weeks leading up to the event, UFC President Dana White insisted the event was apolitical and merely a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Sunday also happened to be the 80th birthday of Trump, White’s longtime friend.
Hokit took on Derrick White in a heavyweight bout Sunday, winning by knockout in the second round. During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Hokit randomly blurted out, “Michelle Obama is a man!”
As the crowd around him cheered and Rogan smiled, the 28-year-old added, “Am I right America?”
The comments were met with immediate outrage on social media. Fox News’s Jessica Tarlov called Hokit “absolute trash.”
Former NFL star Robert Griffin III called Hokit a “disgrace.”
“It takes a really small man to use his biggest moment to attack a woman by calling her a man,” Griffin added.
OutKick’s Dan Dakich also took exception to the comment, calling Hokit a “dumbass” and saying his decision was “idiotic.”
Sportswriter Alex Kirshner declared the moment was the “most embarrassing moment for an American pro sports league in quite some time.”
“Don’t forget it just because the people involved will never understand it,” he continued.
Countless others appeared to agree.
As U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury pointed out in her tweet, Hokit put on a bizarre display during Saturday’s weigh-in when he stumbled onto the scale and appeared to vomit. He then told the room he was drinking the night before and added, “I have a giant Black man that wants to knock me out.”
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