Josh Hokit’s biggest win to date at UFC White House on Sunday night immediately turned controversial after his post-fight interview on the south lawn of the White House.
After defeating and finishing Derrick Lewis, Hokit used his mic time to make disparaging comments about former First Lady Michelle Obama, saying, "Lastly, Michele Obama is a man," and then adding, "Am I right, America?"
UFC CEO Dana White, reached via text message by TIME, distanced himself from the remarks. "I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families," White said. "Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense."
Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury also condemned Hokit's comments, calling them "disgusting." She wrote, "Ok, so let me get this straight," before adding, "The dude who puked on himself live on TV during his weigh in, is hurling insults at the former First Lady now? Disgusting. Welcome to the Trump Administration."
Earlier in the night, Hokit had also used his post-fight moment to call out Alex Pereira, who was scheduled to face Ciryl Gane later on the card for a vacant interim heavyweight title.
The UFC White House event was staged outdoors with President Donald Trump sitting octagon side. Hokit has previously used a post-fight interview at an LFA event to attack Michelle Obama, but those earlier comments did not receive the same level of attention as his remarks at the UFC showcase.
