UFC fighter Josh Hokit clarifies his choice of words when referring to Michelle Obama earlier in June. The MMA fighter said that the former First Lady “is a man” in a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan at the UFC Freedom 250 event, hosted by the Trump Administration.
The comments came after Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis at the UFC event. The comment was not addressed by Rogan after the interview.
What did Josh Hokit say about his controversial Michelle Obama comment?
Following significant backlash over his comments, including from Jon Stewart, Hokit has now offered more clarification in an attempt to defend his comment. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hokit said, “I thought I was giving her a compliment.”
Hearing this, Helwani said that no one thought it was a compliment. Hokit replied with his clarification, saying, “Michelle Obama being a man. It’s like she knows how to deal with adversity, she knows how to work hard like a man when the times get tough.”
Helwani pressed Hokit on what made the latter think of commenting on that in the moment. Hokit answered that he felt it was “a perfect opportunity” to show the world an example of free speech in practice. Following that, Hokit compared the pressures on free speech elsewhere in the world, adding, “You go somewhere [else in the world] and you say something like that and you die. And I’m not suicidal by the way.”
Hokit went on to defend his comment by saying that there are “a few ways” to answer Helwani’s question, eventually adding that the comment can also be interpreted as a “jab”.
“There’s a certain side that pokes at another side, and there’s no outrage there, so I thought it was a perfect time to take a jab,” Hokit added. When asked whether he regretted commenting, Hokit replied, “That’s one thing about my career…you’ll never hear me backtrack from what I say.”
While Hokit won’t be offering an apology for the comment, UFC boss Dana White condemned the incident in a statement to Time Magazine last week. The White House declined to comment on the incident.
Originally reported by Rahul Majumdar on ComingSoon.net.
