Dana White responds after UFC fighter shouts 'Michelle Obama is a man' after win
The US came together to celebrate President Donald Trump's birthday on Sunday with a bizarre UFC event on the White House front lawn.
The 80-year-old was clearly keen to mark reaching his eighth decade on planet Earth with a significant event, featuring seven UFC fights in a cage in his front garden.
We've seen events such as these attract huge attention in the past, with Jake Paul even able to bring Anthony Joshua back into the world of boxing with a money-spinning fight live on Netflix.
But to do it at the White House seemed unprecedented, particularly as Trump was seemingly busy negotiating a peace deal with Iran at the same time.
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Although the event was deemed to be a success, with seven finishes in the fights and only a brief delay due to the weather, the sporting event did attract some controversy following a comment from one of the fighters.
After a knockout win over Derrick Lewis, rising star Josh Hokit, who is well known for his viral comments both before and after fights, decided to publicly take a jab at former first lady Michelle Obama.
He ended his interview with “Lastly, Michele Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
And while it was met with a mixed reaction at the White House, it seems as if Dana White wasn't a big fan of the comment.
“I understand that the Obamas are public figures, but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White told TIME in a text message.
“Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense.”
Unfortunately for the UFC, it seems as if much of the focus will now be on Hokit's comments rather than the event itself, which actually turned out to be a success when many doubted if it would be possible.
However, that wasn't the only controversy at the event, as pictures also captured fellow fighter Sean Strickland being escorted away from the event after reports suggested that he had been banned, although White later clarified that he simply hadn't been invited.
Other esteemed guests at the White House included Tyson Fury, who was in attendance after cheering on his brother Tommy in his fight against Eddie Hall in Manchester, despite previous reports suggesting that he had a US travel ban.
Topics: Donald Trump, UFC, Dana White
James Moorhouse