# UFC Fighter Josh Hokit Says Calling Michelle Obama a “Man” Was Meant to Be a “Compliment”

> **Newsylist Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-06-23 21:10 UTC · Category: Sports · Sources: 8 · Current Velocity: 8.49

## Executive Summary
UFC fighter Josh Hokit faces backlash after claiming that calling Michelle Obama a "man" during a White House event was intended as a compliment.

## Intelligence Brief
UFC fighter Josh Hokit sparked controversy after disparaging Michelle Obama at a UFC White House event. Following the incident, Hokit defended his statement, claiming he thought he was giving her a compliment and stating he will not backtrack from his words.


Coverage from ESPN, CNN, and Variety emphasizes the reaction to the comments, which include a condemnation from Dana White, who called the insult "nonsense." Other figures responding include Cam Newton, who called the comment "tasteless," and Dricus du Plessis, who warned that the offense may cost Hokit. According to Yahoo Sports, Hokit's remarks received praise from Donald Trump.


Future developments may center on whether the incident results in professional consequences for Hokit, as indicated by the warnings from Dricus du Plessis. The White House has not commented on the matter.

## Verified Facts & Key Claims
### How did Josh Hokit respond to the backlash?
Hokit defended his comments, stating he believed calling Michelle Obama a 'man' was a compliment and that he would not backtrack.

### Who has criticized the comments?
Dana White described the insult as 'nonsense,' and Cam Newton characterized the comment as 'tasteless.'

### Has the White House responded to the incident?
According to CNN, the White House is not commenting on the matter.

## Key People, Organizations & Locations
UFC, Dana White, UFC White House, Josh Hokit, UFC Fighter Josh Hokit Says Calling Michelle Obama, Was Meant, Michelle Obama, Cam Newton Checks UFC Fighter For Tasteless Michelle Obama Comment, UFC's Joshua Hokit Says Michelle Obama Comment Was Giving Her A Compliment You'll Never Hear Me Backtrack From What I Say, UFC Star Drops Vile Excuse for Appalling Michelle Obama Slur

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Published (UTC) | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yahoo Sports | Josh Hokit On Ugly Michelle Obama Comments: ‘You’ll Never Hear Me Backtrack’ | 2026-06-24 11:06 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihgFBVV95cUxQYUpOZU9LSUhVX1IyeWZGc0hWd2I2eDFiejY5aWZWQ3I3TTJ0YTlpUzZVU01lXzVNTXZwdmw1QnZScnUyRjZtRVJ4dHZXN0xYcUN4NFl0azRXbERBSlo3RDFPbVRTRkp6TGRIWkpBUXZOdGdNVWdzUk1EQ01ITUI1dENjazVmZw?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Sports | UFC fighter who called Michelle Obama a man claims he was 'giving her a compliment' | 2026-06-24 11:06 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiygFBVV95cUxPaFB6bGJzU212bmNDNWN0bDNpVGtNSEVOcmZYSmo5dGFFRzR4VC1SWGlLWUtDRUg1VUhaN05SVXAwZnk5bE9KTDRmM3Q1cHJGUXVxNGxqV3BDakM2S2ZkQW9NYkw5amxYdXFGNzdvR1R0TG5HMHVXdmlBTU9kQ25GSnZDWUpUeE80SnhjaHZ2R3l0ZnZYZDBKdDBkR1dNV0ctLVNVRi1rNENORUxjVHd4a1J1Vm5vckVjUEk3NTdNa2lwR1F2UWtPbVJR?oc=5) |
| The Daily Beast | UFC Star Drops Vile Excuse for Appalling Michelle Obama Slur | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitAFBVV95cUxPLXoyQ3pjU3FPbXB5VVg0RHE5bGt0UVR5a0ZtcTV2Sl9LZ1d6SHA1ekNLLWtyRWxRR0x1VS16LXdJa1M5MUVxd1NEN1RzbUFweVdpbmZlbUh4X1dwSXlUMUxlTnpEQWhRcWhUYmVYMUxlTEZWVmg5UHFtTzI5TEI5SW52MHJ2RzA0dGF5dlNnVUxtbTVhVXo3OExNdjdTS2NJOEtfdS1zY3RFVFB4SHVzWVNMUUw?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Sports | MMA Fighter's Explanation For Calling Michelle Obama A 'Man' Isn't Helping | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilAFBVV95cUxOZ2RHZS1rSWw4RThfNm51YVp1cWozRWk4Rl9naHR1RTFocVRQc09FWF9TYXRjUUZFQmdYNUhaY0kwUjZ0T2xWa1ZMM0dkVm1hU0g4NmdZMVFrYThoSG5DVE9hdXlMaUREMjZPazZlMF9zNjJuZkRIVTZ0M2dXc0I5Tk0tUzBYaEJkcHpSOFk5Mi1jTTVu?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Sports | Dricus du Plessis a fan of Josh Hokit, but warns offensive UFC White House comment is ‘going to cost him’ | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigAFBVV95cUxPT29vdGE1QncxYktHY3RPWVBoTGUxUDlSVDRCNTQ0S0xBY1Z5ZXJENzJlOWljSmtRREpzc0x6a0U1SVV0VlVkTWVmaDF6QjJZOThSYm55SFlrVk9UZ1lJUTF5WlBCN0k0azVJT29UeThDemxtMTJidFJXU2t0ZGxSMw?oc=5) |
| Variety | Josh Hokit Defends Calling Michelle Obama a 'Man' at UFC Fight | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilwFBVV95cUxQWDctMXdJSXIyZ1N6RjdsdWN2eklmZ016aVltVUR0RThGcDUzS1dnSlF1RlFEamZJRXJwaU92LVEzZEZuUktxRjRrWFAxN2ZlNnVMZUxXbWxleldzOFhPSEh3MloyZTdFUDIzTFRmZjEtNXdMcFU5bVpCeER1Zk9PRnY0U0JwdGNLR2JfbHYxTE1hMnJkTi1J?oc=5) |
| ESPN | Josh Hokit disparages Michelle Obama at UFC White House event | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxNdzk3c3hDVzhQQW1GYnFLbVVrQXJPTUdsdHhEdmJodVYwWkJYMS1hcHA2ZnBlN040VEVWcENicVYxdllDX1huSkQ0cDU1RjVmOG5oTkJnbEwzWjJra1VybGpuMmJwZXNSRFhqWl83MlB6TDk3eXJ0MXNNRDJacHZHU3JvNmwyUjJrcDQ1UHlyX2JQalJqYU52NFpBUldqNzFsN0Ezem9B?oc=5) |
| bet.com | Cam Newton Checks UFC Fighter For 'Tasteless' Michelle Obama Comment | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiowFBVV95cUxOS0o0eGVxNDB3T0hRdzRzV1VzbG1nel85SlZOc0tLTUpyT1FpNGsyeDVQV0V5WWRRZm9vV2FicFNMcjYwSGdfWUR6UTEwc2Q3S0VWYnhYa1Y1RW5CcGNYM2QtVDNpdGVWSUxzVlJERVhUbDdQT3piUTRKR2doSV80SHhNRG93bEEwYVBmaEpmSEZzQ2o1TnJkRG04YmJtUE13S1pZ?oc=5) |
| Deadline | UFC's Joshua Hokit Says Michelle Obama Comment Was "Giving Her A Compliment": "You'll Never Hear Me Backtrack From What I Say" | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilgFBVV95cUxNVFdYYXVObmpSdFRKMUI1a3h6NDdxRWpJXy1wajJWZGNNNV8tTFVuUzRsR0dMUDcxRi1sQlR5aWYtTC16aXB1TlhmQUc4QXVneW41ZjNldExiWjlQUXp2SmlIYTFXR3BtVDNDbkl5RDliXzEtQ0EyRzFhdmlneUhCY0J5YWcwUDU4VHFMdmxzNmpxZ3dvUEE?oc=5) |
| CNN | Dana White called a UFC fighter’s Michelle Obama insult ‘nonsense.’ The White House isn’t commenting on it | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiekFVX3lxTE1KM2xNbkxnRDVLX2V3UWdRTC1KNkZnemVYcjFRRTR0RVJUWjVfQXRiMG4tWXEzU0s5UTRBdU5SZDFGWEw0M1FqMjJLYTVJdXpTQjhCeVJBWjV2YW0xc3VhN1h3bnFwenNPSHBkZlpYaFdKRmVtbHQ2RC13?oc=5) |
| The Hollywood Reporter | UFC Fighter Josh Hokit Says Calling Michelle Obama a “Man” Was Meant to Be a “Compliment” | 2026-06-23 21:39 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitwFBVV95cUxPaDJFci1LQ0JtSUloZTJDeFg0NVlfZWJKNGJaQnJ5dXJXUEJSdWwtRk95aFZTSDBGMllQbGtIakk2MWc4WGlMR0dRdmswazhRUTlENmNHeERyelhwaGRqMDdjZWw0eHc5RHlKWTM4ZnowSm5hYlh6QUhSaHZyMTEzQ0pXbFdyZWRtX2xscXlaTkFNZ3pyVXhPUG5mS0xOLUZJaFFaRTlPV0NrYV9mTUlObFZ5OVpZdjQ?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Sports | UFC fighter who said ‘Michelle Obama is a man’ responds after praise from Donald Trump: ‘I thought I was giving her a compliment’ | 2026-06-23 21:35 | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihwFBVV95cUxPRVYtSWlXclpQbEd6M1c1Mjlud0FKRVc3N2RPd3FLbGlmVFVvel9xcjNfb2ExaE5JaWdQUk1HTHdINnUxaUxUVjdTT1R5SUdGdmJEcVZncWZQb2pBS3IySm82WnpjQ25LbWZlMFRieWNuMmZhUjk0SWQxbEtpdWVJa295T0dOMG8?oc=5) |

---
*Canonical Source: https://www.newsylist.com/trend/2026-06-23/ufc-fighter-josh-hokit-says-calling-michelle-obama-a-man-was-meant-to-be-a*
*Synthesized by Newsylist Open Intelligence Engine under E-E-A-T journalistic standards.*