Israel Adesanya warns Josh Hokit about White House speech

Israel Adesanya thinks Josh Hokit crossed a line with his post-fight remarks at UFC White House earlier this month.

Hokit dominated Derrick Lewis on June 14 in the heavyweight bout on the South Lawn, then grabbed the microphone for a characteristic promo that ended with an offensive crack about former First Lady Michelle Obama. Speaking on Demetrious Johnson's MightyCast, Adesanya warned that the unbeaten contender may be courting serious trouble with that kind of rhetoric. "His post-fight speech was crazy, like, at the White House," Adesanya said, per MMA Fighting. "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 Accuses Hokit of Playing Games Against Lewis

Adesanya also believes Hokit deliberately extended the Lewis fight for entertainment value, saying the 4-0 heavyweight could have locked in an armbar finish at the end of the opening round but chose to drag things out. The former middleweight champion called the scream Hokit let out in the final seconds of Round 1 a giveaway. Hokit moved up the rankings with the Lewis win after President Donald Trump requested a late opponent change so Lewis, a reported Trump favourite, could compete at the event.

Next up for Hokit remains unclear. He has repeatedly called out former two-division champion Alex Pereira, who lost his interim heavyweight title shot against Ciryl Gane at the same White House card. Adesanya expects Pereira to drop back to light heavyweight for now, though he acknowledged that a Hokit matchup has gained real intrigue. "The way Hokit just went at him at the press conference a few weeks ago and then again and again, it's like, he's got us thinking about him now," Adesanya said. "Now I want to see that fight. That's a big fight."

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Israel Adesanya in disbelief at Josh Hokit’s UFC White House speech: ‘He’s trying to put a red dot on his own head’ | MMA Fighting