Israel Adesanya has weighed in on Josh Hokit's controversial post-fight speech and performance at the UFC White House event this past Sunday.
Hokit, who defeated Derrick Lewis after being selected as Lewis’ opponent when President Donald Trump asked UFC CEO Dana White to find someone for the heavyweight to compete against at the White House, drew backlash when he made an offensive statement about former First Lady Michelle Obama in his post-fight speech. Speaking on Demetrious Johnson’s MightyCast, Adesanya said, "His post-fight speech was crazy, like, at the White House," and added, "I was like, man, this guy, he’s trying to put a red dot on his own head. The last person that said that ended up dead was Joan Rivers. Anyway, I don’t want to go too deep into that. … Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom of consequences, but I think he can handle the consequences."
Adesanya also questioned Hokit's approach in the cage against Lewis. "From the beginning, I was like, ‘He can finish this,’ and he starts screaming, like, the last four seconds, I was like, ‘OK, he wants this to go to the second round.’ … I knew he was playing, I knew he was playing, because it was fully extended. You know how to finish an armbar, even I know how to finish an armbar, but he just kept it, and the scream kind of sold it for me. This guy, he’s just a fugazi."
Hokit is now 4-0 in the UFC since debuting in 2025, with wins over Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, and has been trying to build a feud with Alex Pereira, who was knocked out by Ciryl Gane in an interim heavyweight title bout on Sunday. Adesanya noted Pereira’s situation while still eyeing a potential clash with Hokit, saying, "I reckon he’s got the thing with Hokit, but I say go back to 205 because that’s where he does best, I think," and later adding, "Now I want to see that fight. That’s a big fight."
