Heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit ignited a political firestorm after using his post-fight moment at UFC Freedom 250 to declare to the crowd, "Michelle Obama is a man.
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According to The Post Millennial, Hokit made the remark on Sunday night after defeating Derrick Lewis, turning his victory speech into a pointed jab at the former First Lady. In his brief post-fight interview, Hokit told the roaring crowd, "Michelle Obama is a man, am I right America," before exiting the Octagon as cheers and laughter erupted from the audience.
The comment quickly drew criticism from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who spoke out on Monday about the episode. "There was one moment I do think Trump has to denounce, and anybody associated with it has to denounce, and thats that crazy fighter guy," Portnoy said, referring to Hokits remarks at the White Houseadjacent event.
Portnoy described the fighters jab as beyond the pale, even in a sport known for its brash personalities and unfiltered trash talk. "He won the fight, he took the microphone, and he made up a derogatory comment about Michelle Obama. To me, that on the White House lawn now, these are UFC guys, alright? Theyre crazy, theyre idiots. You have Sean Strickland, whos one of the craziest people of all time, to the point you cant even pay attention to what he says, snuck in."
Portnoy argued that the setting elevated the stakes, insisting that President Donald Trump and his allies should distance themselves from the remark. "But when you have that on the White House lawn, on an event you put down, I dont care what you think about the Obamas or anything, that has to be an immediate denounce, like, yeah, doesnt speak for me."
While acknowledging the inherent unpredictability of fighters, Portnoy stressed that the event itself was not the problem. He said he had "no problem with the event," and added, "I guess you run that risk, because these guys are lunatics, but that was the only thing. If Trump should denounce it, he should say that was totally wrong."
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