White calls remarks disgusting

Dana White has issued a sharp public rebuke of UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit after the fighter made a disparaging false claim about former First Lady Michelle Obama during UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

Hokit made the remark after defeating Derrick Lewis at the South Lawn event, where he spoke to Joe Rogan in the cage following the fight. “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?” Hokit said.

According to Dave Kelsey in The Comeback, White had already described the comments as “nasty and false” before returning to the issue in stronger terms at a later press conference.

“That was disgusting,” White said.

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“Disgusting,” he added.

A White House stage raises the stakes

The incident drew particular attention because of the setting. UFC Freedom 250 was staged on the South Lawn of the White House, with President Donald Trump in attendance, as part of the broader celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

White said the timing and location made the remark more damaging, even as he defended his broader belief in free speech.

“No. I mean, there’s always going to be people that say things that most of us don’t agree with,” White said when asked whether he regretted putting Hokit on the card.

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He later added: “Not everybody does. I’ve gotta listen to stupid [stuff] like that sometimes because I also believe in free speech.”

White also spoke about his own view of the presidency and his past support for Barack Obama.

“I’ve said many times, I voted for Obama the first time,” White said. “Didn’t vote for him the second time. Then at the inauguration, he was sitting in front of me. And then I saw all this stuff on the internet, with people like ‘Oh, Dana’s mad-dogging Dana.’ Obama’s the only one that turned around to me, couldn’t have been a nicer guy – and said, ‘Congratulations on all your success and everything you’ve done.’ I said, ‘Thank you, Mr. President.’”

White said he believes the office should be respected regardless of party.

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“I don’t believe in this [stuff]. All the people that hate Trump, ‘He’s not my president.’ All the people that hated on Biden, ‘he’s not my president.’ I’ve got some bad [freaking] news for you. If you’re an American, that’s your president. And I respect all presidents, present and past,” he said.

False claim has long history

Hokit’s remark repeated a long-running conspiracy theory about Michelle Obama’s gender identity. The claim has no credible basis and has circulated for years in fringe political and online circles.

According to Snopes, the false claim has been repeatedly recycled by critics of the former first lady, including after major public appearances.

The conspiracy theory has also been rejected by other fact-checking organisations, including PolitiFact, USA Today, AFP and Reuters. Its continued spread has been widely described by researchers and commentators as rooted in racism, misogyny and transphobia.

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For White, the issue was not just that Hokit had made a false personal attack, but that he had done so on one of UFC’s biggest stages.

Hokit remains unbeaten after his victory over Lewis, but the fallout from his post-fight interview has overshadowed the win and left the UFC facing questions about how far it is willing to let fighters go under the banner of free expression.

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