Hokit refuses to apologise for Michelle Obama slur after UFC White House backlash

Josh Hokit has doubled down on the transphobic comment he made at UFC White House, refusing to apologise after widespread criticism — including from UFC CEO Dana White — for calling former United States First Lady Michelle Obama a man during his post-fight interview following a win over Derrick Lewis.

“You’ll never hear me backtrack from what I say,” Hokit told Yahoo! Sports, referencing Henry Cejudo and Sean Strickland as examples of fighters who had walked back controversial remarks. “Even the Strickland post-fight speech, where he was like, ‘I’m trying to sell the fight. I don’t mean the things I say.’ That’s not me.”

Hokit acknowledged there is one limit to his no-apology stance: the UFC’s own leadership. He said he would take note if Dana White or president Hunter Campbell reached out directly, but drew a clear line between their opinions and those of the general public.

“I don’t care,” Hokit said. “Now, I’m not trying to piss off the Dana Whites and Hunter Campbells, but they would also message me if they really felt a certain way. But at the end of the day, all the other people — they weren’t there when I was down. They weren’t there when I was broken. So I could care less what anybody thinks.”

Hokit signed with the UFC off the Contender Series last year and has since competed four times in the promotion, climbing the rankings on the back of a combative public persona as much as his performances inside the octagon. His comments at UFC White House were widely condemned as bigoted, and the backlash was notable enough to prompt a public response from White — a rare occurrence for a fighter still establishing himself on the roster.

Hokit shows no sign of moderating his approach. “I’m here to make a splash, and I’m here to back up my words as well,” he said. “If anybody feels some type of way, they know where to find me.”