On a Saturday night in Las Vegas, UFC chief Dana White answered for a remark made a week earlier, when fighter Josh Hokit, fresh from a victory on the White House card, joked that Michelle Obama is a man. White called the words disgusting while insisting that free speech must survive even its ugliest moments. The episode lands in an old American argument about where public figures end and their families begin, and about whether a sporting stage can hold a political one.
Dana White Calls Hokit's Michelle Obama Remark 'Disgusting' But Defends His Right to Say It
He defends Hokit's right to speak, and calls what Hokit said disgusting.
Mark
Why did this question land on White at all? It's Hokit's joke.
Mimi
Because White put Hokit on the White House card. A reporter asked if he regretted that, so he's answering for the booking as well as the words.
Luke
Worth noting his answer to the regret question wasn't a yes or no. He said people will always say things most of us disagree with, then trailed off.
Mark
He separates the right to speak from the content, doesn't he?
Mimi
Yes. He calls it disgusting and also says he believes in free speech. He's said both before, so it's consistent.
Luke
Consistent, but note the source is the Gateway Pundit's account. The quotes are rendered with some garbling, like the reporter calling Hokit "Hockett."
Mark
And the Obama story about the inauguration?
Mimi
It's his way of showing he doesn't hold personal animosity. Obama turned around and congratulated him, and White says he respects all presidents.
Luke
That's White's own recollection. Nothing in the reporting confirms it independently.
Mark
What about Trump removing the chain?
Luke
Reported, but no reason is given. The report says only that he smiled first and removed it later. We shouldn't read a motive into it.
O Pulso
- A joke shouted in the Octagon at the White House turned a victory into a controversy within minutes.
- Dana White cut off a reporter mid-question, so the disgust came out before the sentence could finish.
- White is pulling in two directions at once, defending Hokit's right to speak while condemning the words.
- Reports that Trump removed Hokit's chain after the remark add a political wrinkle that has not settled.
- The event's White House setting leaves open whether the fallout will spread from one fighter to the UFC itself.
On a Saturday night in Las Vegas, UFC chief Dana White answered for a remark made a week earlier, when fighter Josh Hokit, fresh from a victory on the White House card, joked that Michelle Obama is a man. White called the words disgusting while insisting that free speech must survive even its ugliest moments. The episode lands in an old American argument about where public figures end and their families begin, and about whether a sporting stage can hold a political one.
On Saturday night, at the post-fight press conference for UFC Vegas 119, a reporter had barely begun a question about the Josh Hokit episode when Dana White cut in. "That was disgusting," he said.
The remark had been made the previous Sunday at the UFC Freedom 250 card held at the White House. Hokit, having just beaten Derrick Lewis, thanked Trump for having the nerve to stage such an event, praised Jesus Christ, and then added a joke: Trump wasn't the only one with nerve. Michelle Obama, he declared, is a man. Trump was seen smiling, but according to later accounts he removed the chain he had given Hokit moments earlier.
When asked whether he regretted putting Hokit on the card, White answered haltingly. People will always say things most of us disagree with, he said, before objecting to the time and place of the remark. He then recalled Barack Obama kindly turning around at the inauguration, when online voices had accused White of glaring at him. White also argued against the "not my president" reaction, whatever the party, because respecting the office is part of being American.
He closed on his core principle. Sometimes you have to listen to stupid things, he said, because he believes in free speech. His position holds both the right to speak and the judgment that the words were wrong. What remains to be seen is whether the remark and the political setting of a White House card draw further fallout toward the UFC.
On Saturday night, at the post-fight press conference after UFC Vegas 119, a reporter began a question by calling the Josh Hokit episode the big story for the mainstream media. UFC CEO Dana White cut in before the sentence finished. "That was disgusting," he said.
The episode dates to the previous Sunday, at the UFC Freedom 250 card staged at the White House. Hokit had just beaten Derrick Lewis. Standing in the Octagon with Joe Rogan, he thanked Trump for having the nerve to put on an event like this, then praised Jesus Christ. Then he turned to a joke: Trump wasn't the only one with nerve, he said, and declared that Michelle Obama is a man. "Am I right, America?" he shouted.
Trump was seen smiling afterward. According to the account of the night, though, he later removed the chain that had been given to Hokit only moments before.
White had already criticized the remark once. Earlier, as the Gateway Pundit reported, he said he understood the Obamas are public figures but opposed saying nasty and false things about people's families. Everyone knows his position on free speech, he added, but he hates that kind of nonsense.
At the Vegas press conference, he was asked whether he regretted putting Hokit on the Freedom 250 card. His answer was halting. There will always be people who say things most of us don't agree with, he said, and then he trailed off, objecting to the time and the place of the remark, with an expletive and a flat "no."
He then turned to Barack Obama personally. White said he voted for Obama the first time and not the second. At the inauguration, Obama was seated in front of him, and White recalled online chatter claiming he had been mad-dogging the president. In fact, he said, Obama was the only one who turned around, couldn't have been nicer, and congratulated him on his success.
White used that memory to make a broader point. He said he doesn't believe in the "not my president" reaction, whether aimed at Trump or at Biden, whom he appeared to call "Obiden," likely by accident. If you're an American, he said, that is your president, and he respects all presidents, past and present, though he acknowledged not everyone does.
He closed by returning to the principle he said was the reason he tolerates such moments. Sometimes you have to listen to stupid stuff like that, he said, because he also believes in free speech. So White's position is split in two: he defends Hokit's right to speak, and calls what Hokit said disgusting.
What remains to watch is whether the remark, and the political character of a card held at the White House, draws further reaction toward the UFC or the event itself.
Citações Notáveis
That was disgusting.— Dana White, UFC Vegas 119 press conference
I'm completely against saying nasty and false things about people's families.— Dana White, earlier statement as reported by the Gateway Pundit
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Politics & Governance