Dana White condemns Fresno fighter after Michelle Obama remark following UFC win
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- White condemned Hokit for bringing family members into public attacks.
- Hokit referred to Michelle Obama as "a man" in his post-fight interview.
- Hokit improved to a 10-0 MMA record with six knockout victories after the win.
UFC President and CEO Dana White publicly condemned Josh Hokit on Monday after the undefeated fighter sparked controversy with comments about former First Lady Michelle Obama following his victory over Derrick Lewis at the UFC Freedom 250 card outside the White House.
In a text message to TIME magazine, White criticized Hokit for bringing family members into public attacks.
“I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families. Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense,” White wrote.
The backlash stemmed from Hokit’s post-fight interview with Joe Rogan inside the octagon after his TKO victory over Lewis. During the interview, Hokit referred to Michelle Obama as “a man” before adding, “Am I right, America?”
The remark quickly drew criticism from several public figures.
Actor and comedian Shane Gillis addressed the comment during an interview with TMZ.
“I didn’t love that,” Gillis said. “I didn’t like that.”
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III was also among Hokit’s harshest critics.
“What a disgrace,” Griffin wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It takes a really small man to use his biggest moment to attack a woman by calling her a man. Especially with the history behind calling black women men.”
The Clovis High grad and former Fresno State standout later addressed the controversy in an interview, saying the comment came from the “Incredible Hok” character rather than himself.
On Monday morning, Hokit returned to X and wrote: “Guys… Trump likes Derrick Lewis so I didn’t want to break his arm in front of him… I wanted a TKO anyways.”
The post sparked another wave of responses, many of which referenced his Michelle Obama comment. One user wrote that Hokit does not “belong in the UFC.”
With the victory, Hokit improved to 10-0 in his MMA career, including six wins by knockout.
This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 12:28 PM.
