UFC CEO Dana White criticized fighter Josh Hokit for referring to former First Lady Michelle Obama as 'a man' during the Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 15, 2026. In a text message to Time magazine, White stated, 'I understand that the Obamas 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.'
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who supported Trump in the 2024 election, urged the president to denounce Hokit’s comment, saying, 'When you have that on the White House lawn, on an event you put down, I don’t care what you think about the Obamas or anything, that has to be an immediate denounce.'
The White House and representatives for Michelle Obama did not respond immediately to requests for comment regarding Hokit’s statement. Hokit, who won his match against UFC legend Derrick Lewis, made the comment during a post-fight interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, who did not follow up on the remark.
White also mentioned that future UFC events at the White House would be challenging to afford, stating, 'I can’t afford it. It will never happen again.'