One comment besmirched an otherwise spectacular night during UFC Freedom 250. Now, President Donald Trump has been roped into the debacle for his lack of a stance on what’s being described as an inexcusable remark. On the night of Sunday, June 14, at the White House South Lawn, heavyweight contender Josh Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis. Immediately after, in a comment way out of place, he called Michelle Obama a man in his post-fight speech. The remark drew an overwhelming amount of anger and rebuke from all corners, and veteran NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith is outraged, and not just at the comment.

“It was a spectacular event,” Stephen A. Smith said. “It was ruined by one a–hole, who was fighting in the Octagon. Who said that Michelle Obama was a man… It was inexcusable… That was an incredibly disparaging remark about one of the greatest First Ladies, if not the greatest First Lady… This should have immediately been denounced by the President… They should have escorted his a– out of there… 

“This is the same President that liked the photo of the Obamas depicted as apes months ago… It’s stuff like this that people remember and hold on to, which diverts them away from focusing on his policies and whether they work or not because they’re so disgusted by the vile behavior he either initiates, emboldens, or co-signs.”

Despite Smith’s condemnation, Donald Trump hasn’t issued a statement on the matter at the time of writing. Some reports even indicate that he smirked or half-smiled when Josh Hokit made the comment while sitting with UFC CEO Dana White and his wife Melania Trump. Afterward, though, he removed the chain Hokit had just given him.

Trump’s inaction on the matter has made things worse for him because of his past actions. As Smith highlighted, Trump posted a clip of the Obamas earlier this year being depicted as apes on his social media platform Truth Social and deleted it after public outcry. While Trump has chosen to remain silent on the matter, others have spoken out about it. 

UFC CEO Dana White claimed that he was against saying “nasty and false things” about people’s families. Although he claims to support free speech, White admitted that he hates such things from the fighters. Despite his condemnation, the promotion has yet to take any serious action against heavyweight Josh Hokit.

Hokit, in fact, is known for putting up bizarre sketches to self-promote and stun people. He has developed several personas that often show up at press conferences or weigh-ins. Hokit had previously made headlines for making derogatory remarks about Alex Pereira’s mother. And despite the backlash, he continues to view such behavior as a means to get ahead in the business. 

Interestingly enough, this wasn’t even the first time Stephen A. Smith has criticized Donald Trump. The pair had a public back-and-forth when Smith took issue with the President attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. But it’s not just Smith, who has been at odds with POTUS. 

Donald Trump continues to be at odds with his supporters

Since the incident, neither former President Barack Obama nor former First Lady Michelle Obama has directly addressed Hokit’s derogatory comments at UFC Freedom 250. In the meantime, however, people who supported Donald Trump have been criticizing him. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who supported Trump and voted for him in the 2024 presidential election, condemned him. 

“There was one moment I do think Trump has to denounce, and anybody associated with it has to denounce,” he said on Wake Up Barstool on Fox Sports 1. “When you have that on the White House lawn on an event you put on, I don’t care what you think about the Obamas… that has to be an immediate denounce.”

Donald Trump is partly responsible for Hokit’s presence on the card. He was the one who wanted to see Derrick Lewis fight on the White House card. He made this wish known to his long-time supporter Dana White during UFC 327. And on Joe Rogan’s suggestion, Dana White matched Lewis against Josh Hokit on the UFC Freedom 250 card, something White might be regretting at the moment. 

That being said, Hokit’s comment about Michelle Obama reflects how far these UFC fighters are willing to go to be in the spotlight. And when the likes of Donald Trump refuse to denounce such comments, and UFC refuses to remove such fighters, it only makes them even bolder.