Undefeated MMA heavyweight Josh Hokit thought he was flattering Michelle Obama when he accused her of being a man at UFC Freedom 250, or at least that’s the story he’s going with.

‘I thought I was giving her a compliment,’ Hokit, 28, told Ariel Helwani on his eponymous podcast. ‘I don’t think anyone viewed it as Michelle Obama being a man. It’s more like she knows how to deal with adversity, she knows how to work hard like a man when the times get tough.’

Of course, the former First Lady was not present at UFC Freedom 250, where President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday with an outdoor fight card. Instead, the crowd was packed with many of her critics, who were the intended recipients of Hokit’s incendiary comment.

‘Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?’ Hokit yelled while being interviewed by Joe Rogan after beating Derrick Lewis by TKO on June 14.

On Tuesday, when asked why such a message came to mind in that moment, Hokit claimed to be doing a performative display of the First Amendment in action.

‘It was a perfect opportunity to show the world how great this country is with the freedom of speech,’ he continued. ‘In other parts of the world, you say something like that and you die. And I’m not suicidal by the way. I’m in good spirits. I’m a little under the weather right now. But other than that I’m good.

Undefeated MMA heavyweight Josh Hokit thought he was flattering Michelle Obama when he accused her of being a man at UFC Freedom 250, or at least that’s the story he’s going with

Of course, former First Lady Michelle Obama was not present at UFC Freedom 250, where President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday with an outdoor fight card

‘In other parts of the world, you say something like that, you’re not here speaking to Ariel Helwani.’

Hokit’s rambling explanation then shifted into a different, but equally vague area.

‘There’s a certain side that pokes at another side and there’s no outrage there,’ Hokit said cryptically. ‘So I thought it was a perfect time to take a jab.’

Then asked if he regrets what he said, Hokit rejected the idea, saying: ‘You’ll never hear me backtrack from what I say.’

Not even the MAGA-friendly world of the UFC backed up Hokit after his attack on Obama.

While UFC boss Dana White moved quickly to denounce the remarks in a statement to Time magazine, legendary fighter Daniel Cormier used his platform to deliver a far more personal locker-room dressing down.

‘The comments that he made in the Octagon just made no sense,’ Cormier declared on his weekly podcast. ‘It was irresponsible, it was nasty, it was horrible, and it was unnecessary.’

‘He started his post-fight interview… and he was going to do one of these gimmicky things that, honestly, I think it’s lame,’ the former double-champion added bluntly.

Cormier expressed frustration that Hokit ruined a massive career milestone, noting the fighter could have walked away with thousands of new fans based on his fight.

Instead, the broadcast was instantly hijacked by unrest, drawing sharp criticism from sports media figures, who questioned why the commentary team didn’t intervene.

‘Michelle Obama is as classy a person as you will ever meet,’ Cormier emphasized during his broadcast. ‘She’s been a person that it should be hard to take shots at.’

‘That’s the type of statement that divides, when in reality, we as a country should be trying to come together,’ the veteran analyst continued. ‘So I absolutely hated that.

‘I get the gimmicks,’ Cormier concluded in his fiery address. ‘But there was no gain in Josh Hokit doing that, and it was disgusting. Get it together, dude.’

Prominent sports figures like Shannon Sharpe have since publicly urged the former First Lady to pursue legal action against the fighter for defamation.

Hokit has completely refused to walk back the comments or offer an apology.

UFC boss Dana White with Trump at the event, which also fell on the President’s birthday

UFC legend Daniel Cormier hit back at Hokit following his vile comments inside the octagon

Instead, Hokit has appeared to double down with a recent post online, after taking to Instagram to reflect on the controversy surrounding his comments.

Alongside a photo of himself, he said: ‘Strong and Courageous. The only two reasons I joined this sport.

‘If you exercise those every single day and back them up with hard work, the money and success will follow. I’m not here to be liked. I’m not here to be a role model.

‘I don’t care. I’m here to succeed. I’ll do whatever it takes to get where I want to go, and if you don’t like it… Come beat me in a fight.’

It is not the first time Hokit has hurled such an insult. At a UFC event in January, he also called WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner a man.

At the time, White said of the Griner slur: ‘I heard about it. I didn’t see it, I don’t love it.’