Michelle Obama consistently ranks among the most-admired women in the United States and the world. She’s a former first lady and the mother of two daughters.
She has no need to care about what some MMA fighter says about her, or to respond, no matter the stage from which said idiot said what he said.
Yet, it seems a response is necessary.
What Josh Hokit said after his fight on Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House was so offensive, so stupid, that it will not be repeated here. It suffices to say it was racist and sexist at its core.
A few years back, a colleague of mine at the Journal wrote that oft-troubled UFC star Jon Jones had worn out his welcome in Albuquerque and should leave town. I disagreed at the time. But after Jones’ arrest on domestic violence charges in 2021 (he pleaded to a lesser charge), I came around in print to my colleague’s way of thinking.
Jones is still here, still occasionally making news for the wrong reasons.
It was Jones’ actions, of course, not mere words, that I found disturbing enough to write what I wrote almost five years ago. And we know, between actions and words, which speaks louder.
Thus, I’m not opining here that Hokit, the aforementioned fighter who trains in Albuquerque at Jackson-Wink MMA, should leave town (though I’d be OK with that).
I’m just inviting him to have some class, shut up and keep Michelle Obama’s name out of his mouth.
Yes, ugly things have been said and posted about President Trump and the current first lady, and some of those have crossed the line into indecency.
In fact, on X, Hokit justified his Obama slur this way: “No outrage when you say ‘Melania Trump is an escort’ no outrage when you say ‘Charlie Kirk brought his death upon himself’ or ‘Charlie Kirk deserved to die’ so KISS MY ASS, EVERYONE!!”
And yet, I haven’t seen an MMA fighter, any MMA fighter, say this in the cage after a fight: “Melania Trump is an escort! Am I right, America?”
The Obama slur was as gratuitous as it was disgusting.
Hokit was born in Bakersfield, California, and grew up in nearby Wasco before moving to Clovis, near Fresno. He excelled as a wrestler and football player at Fresno State, then had cups of coffee with the 49ers and the Cardinals before turning to MMA and coming to Albuquerque and Jackson-Wink.
Phone messages left by the Journal for J-W founders and coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, asking for comment, have not been returned.
Hokit is 10-0 as an MMA fighter, nine of those coming by KO or submission. His second-round KO of Derrick Lewis on Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 has set him up for a title shot, once heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and interim champion Ciryl Gane settle their differences.
So, he’s a terrific fighter.
And a colossal jerk.
I’m comfortable with above sentence despite not knowing Hokit personally, never having spoken with him, and despite having listened to an interview during which his foul “Incredible Hok” persona never emerged. During that extended conversation with Albuquerque combat-sports journalist Mike Frankl, he seemed as normal as the next guy who beats people up for a living.
Before that, though, after his breakthrough victory on Dana White’s Tuesday Contender Series, he’d demeaned WNBA star Brittney Griner and lumped trans people in with sex traffickers.
What’s real, and what’s an act? It doesn’t matter. We’re all responsible for what we say and write, whether or not we mean it. If we say it and don’t mean it, perhaps that makes it worse.
Trash talk is part of the game, even encouraged, in the MMA ranks. Conor McGregor often is seen as the biggest name in the sport, not because he’s the best fighter — he’s not — but because he can talk trash like no one else.
Hokit clearly has been influenced by McGregor and by the late Muhammad Ali, another gifted trash talker.
But there’s trash, and there’s garbage. There really is a difference.
