WASHINGTON — Josh Hokit made sure he went viral on Sunday night at the UFC White House card.
For all of the good that the UFC had on Sunday with seven fights that all ended by finish on the South Lawn of the White House, Hokkit – an American-born wrestler who was indirectly thrust into the spotlight at the request of President Donald Trump – may have halted all of his momentum with his post-fight press conference despite a TKO win over Derrick Lewis.
“Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?” Hokit said on the White House South Lawn after giving props to President Trump for putting on the event to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
After Hokit’s earth-shattering decision win over Curtis Blaydes in Miami at UFC 327 in April, President Trump, who was in attendance at the time, asked why another heavyweight, Lewis, wasn’t on the White House card.
UFC President Dana White ran to Hokit to offer him a fight on the White House card, which he graciously accepted.
“About an hour before [Hokit’s unanimous decision win], the president said to me, ‘Why is Derrick Lewis not on the White House card?’ I said, ‘I’ll be back in five minutes,’” White said before announcing that Hokit would be fighting Lewis on the White House card.
The reaction to the comments made to Joe Rogan while inside the stadium on the South Lawn was mostly muted.
On the Ellipse lawn, where 80,000 fans erupted in laughter when they first heard Hokit’s comment, before souring on him later in the night.
Hokit repeated the same lines later in the night on stage at the Ellipse for another post-fight interview with UFC commentator Laura Sanko, claiming “Michelle Obama is a man” and telling Alex Pereira that he was going to “Chama on his momma,” though none of the lines landed as the crowd grew quiet.
“Chama” refers to Pereira’s catchphrase, but it didn’t get the slightest reaction from the crowd.
“Do you guys not like that?” Hokit said on stage before being pulled away by one of his coaches, who appeared upset with his display.
Obama, who was born Michelle Robinson in 1964, grew up in Chicago and gave birth to two daughters whom she shares with Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States.
