UFC White House went off without a hitch, save for one thing that Daniel Cormier didn’t care for.
On Sunday, the biggest UFC event of all time took place on the South Lawn of the White House. The event was, mostly a rousing success, drawing record numbers of viewers and delivering on the spectacle promised by such a unique event. There was, however, one glaring down spot for the event, and it came from the man most thought might be a problem.
Over the past year, Josh Hokit has made a name for himself for his exciting fighting style and his outlandish gimmick outside of the cage, channeling his inner pro-wrestler and intentionally acting inflammatory. Hokit’s gimmick reached a crescendo on Sunday when, after defeated Derrick Lewis, he made a disparaging comment about former First Lady Michelle Obama, calling her a man.
The comment drew immediate backlash from many, including UFC CEO Dana White, and Daniel Cormier, who was in the commentary booth for the event, was even more disgusted by it.
“Josh Hokit made a comment in the octagon on Sunday night after he won the fight, it was completely uncalled for,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Josh has been in my gym, Josh was in the fighter meetings last weekend, and he wasn’t doing the whole character thing. When he’s not doing the whole character thing, he’s a normal dude. He’s a good fighter, and he’s a great athlete. But the comments that he made in the octagon just made no sense. It was irresponsible, it was nasty, it was horrible, and it was unnecessary. It was unnecessary.
“He started his post-fight interview, and he was going to do one of those gimmicky things that, honestly, I think it’s lame as f*ck. And then he stopped himself and he did an interview. And he was good. He could have left, and he could have made more fans than he walked in there with, because they would have gotten to see Josh Hokit. But instead, he goes and says the thing about Michelle Obama, who is as classy a person as you will ever meet, who has only represented herself, her family, and this country with grace and class. She’s been a person that it should be hard to take shots at. It was just an unnecessary shot on her, in a setting that didn’t need any of that type of stuff.”
For many, Hokit’s comment was the worst-case scenario for the UFC White House card, and event that drew criticism beforehand for its political nature. While the rest of the evening was primarily about the history of the United States and our shared history, Hokit’s comment stood starkly in contrast. And given that he was coming off the biggest win of his career, Cormier thinks Hokit simply doesn’t need to do things like that.
“So many people right now in our country are trying to divide,” Cormier said. “That’s the type of statement that divides, when in reality, we as a country should be trying to come together. So I absolutely hated that. I absolutely hated that. He needs to do better. Because it looks like he’s going to have a good career in the UFC, and he’s going to have a ton of time to work his way toward a championship, or at least fight for it.
“I get the gimmicks, but from the presser, where Dana was up and down with his reactions — at times it looked like he thought it was funny, at times he looked disgusted, at times it looked like he wanted to tell him to just shut the f*ck up — to that comment in the octagon, it’s gross. You just don’t need to do it. Especially when you can fight in the way that he does, because at the end of the day, he’s a fighter. He’s a fighter. But it benefitted him none to do that. There was no gain in Josh Hokit doing that, and it was disgusting.
“So, get it together, dude. You don’t need to be as outlandish as you are. Again, I know Josh, and I have a relationship with him, but when you do stuff like that, it really is hard to support you and support what you’re doing.”
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Apple TV as a home for MMA?
Personally, I find Apple to have the best sports setup. They have MLS and F1. Both of which I watch. Would love to see them get a major MMA promotion, but I’m not sure if anyone fits.
Could you see Apple TV getting into MMA? Do you think they’d do a deal with PFL or ONE? Would it require some new player to show up and prove success for a few years? Would they be UFC or nothing?
I’m not sure I’ve seen an event that’s more of an afterthought in the history of MMA than UFC Vegas 119 is. Great main event, but going back to the Apex just 6 days after a card like UFC White House is silly.
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