Hokit Got Dragged Off Stage at the White House Presser: Even Strickland Says He Went Too Far

When we wrote the Hokit origin story a few weeks ago, we said something specific about the persona problem. The fighter is legit. The act is the question mark. And the question was whether the heat from the character would burn him out before the talent peaked.

Last night at the UFC Freedom 250 press conference in Newark, we got our answer.

Josh Hokit showed up in a Sith robe, American flag gloves, and sunglasses. He insulted Derrick Lewis, his actual opponent. Then he insulted Alex Pereira, who isn't even in his fight. Then he told Pereira to "speak English." Then he referenced Ilia Topuria's divorce. Then Topuria stood up and threw something at him. Then Dana White ended the press conference early. Then security went and dragged Hokit off the stage.

And Sean Strickland, the man who threatened to shoot Chimaev three days ago, watched the whole thing and said "this is wild coming from me, but Josh goes way too far."

When Sean Strickland thinks you crossed the line, that's really saying something.

What Actually Happened

The UFC Freedom 250 press conference was supposed to be the big promotional launch for the White House card on June 14. All fourteen fighters on the card were on stage. Topuria and Gaethje for the lightweight title. Pereira and Gane for interim heavyweight gold. Chandler vs Ruffy. O'Malley vs Zahabi. Bo Nickal. And on the end of the stage, Josh Hokit and Derrick Lewis.

Hokit took the microphone and did what Hokit does. He started cutting WWE style promos. Rhyming insults. "Am I right, Newark?" after every line. The crowd was mixed between people who thought it was funny and people who wanted him to shut up.

Then he turned on Pereira.

"I'm gonna shove a [something] on your mama." "This guy's the best player on the planet! Look how I treat him! Like my dog!" He told Pereira to speak English. He called him "my b*tch." He went at a two division champion who doesn't speak fluent English and can't defend himself verbally in that setting.

Pereira's translator asked why Hokit didn't say anything backstage. Pereira stayed calm. But the person who didn't stay calm was sitting a few seats away.

Topuria Stood Up

Ilia Topuria watched the Pereira stuff and apparently decided enough was enough. The lightweight champion stood up to defend Pereira and confronted Hokit directly.

Hokit's response was to turn the act on Topuria.

"I am the real BMF belt, little short m***." "Come up to a real weight class. I'll give it to anybody." "You shouldn't find your wife in Miami."

That last line. That's the one that changed everything.

Topuria went through a very public divorce in 2025. He defended his ex-wife on the Nelk Boys podcast. It was a painful personal situation that played out publicly and Topuria handled it with as much dignity as you can when the internet is dissecting your marriage.

Hokit used it as a punchline on a stage with cameras rolling.

Topuria threw something at Hokit. Dana White stepped in. The press conference ended early. Security escorted Hokit out of the building. The thirteen remaining fighters completed their face-offs without him. Pereira and Topuria actually shook hands on stage after Hokit was gone. A moment of mutual respect between two champions who'd just been disrespected by a guy fighting on the prelims.

Strickland Drew the Line

Here's the part that should make Hokit's management sit down and think for a second.

Sean Strickland. The man who has called Chimaev a "third world dog." The man who threatened to bring a gun to fight week. The man who has said things on camera that would get most people fired from any job in America. THAT GUY watched the Hokit clip and publicly said it was too much.

"This is wild coming from me, but Josh goes way too far. Chandler's wife, Ilia Topuria's ex. I know it's the WWE thing, but it's too much."

Strickland specifically called out that Hokit brought fighters' families and personal relationships into it. That's the line. You can call a fighter anything you want. You can threaten them. You can insult their skills, their chin, their cardio, their record. But when you start referencing divorces and wives and family members who didn't sign up for any of this, you've left fight promotion and entered something else.

And Strickland, who lives on the other side of every line that exists in this sport, recognized it immediately.

What Derrick Lewis Said

The funniest response came from the man Hokit is actually supposed to fight on June 14.

Derrick Lewis sat through the entire press conference watching Hokit insult everybody on stage except him. When asked about it afterward, Lewis said:

"I really couldn't hear nothing he was saying. I really couldn't. I tried, I couldn't. I really never watched none of his fights, so I really don't know. I really don't know nothing about him. But I've heard that he's just a clown. That's all."

Lewis has been fighting in the UFC since 2014. He's fought Francis Ngannou, Derrick Lewis, Curtis Blaydes, Ciryl Gane. He's seen every kind of fighter and every kind of personality this sport has produced. And his assessment of Josh Hokit was four words. "He's just a clown."

That's worse than any comeback Hokit could've gotten from Pereira or Topuria. Being dismissed entirely by the man you're supposed to fight is the most brutal thing that can happen to a personality driven fighter. Hokit wants attention. Lewis gave him none.

The Talent vs the Act

Here's where I land on this and I'm going to be honest about it.

Josh Hokit is 9-0. He beat Curtis Blaydes in a Fight of the Year contender. He has legitimate wrestling credentials. He trains at Jackson Wink. The fighter is real. We covered his whole origin story and the backstory is genuinely impressive. Two sport All American. NFL practice squad. Walked away from football. Built himself from scratch in MMA. All of that is still true.

But the act is killing the fighter.

There's a version of Josh Hokit who lets the fighting speak and uses the personality as seasoning. That version is a future title contender and maybe a champion. There's another version who prioritizes the character over the competition, references people's divorces on camera, gets dragged off stage by security, and turns every press conference into a scene that makes the promotion look bad.

Last night was the second version. And the problem is that the UFC is giving him a longer leash because he's undefeated and because Trump personally requested the Lewis fight for the White House card. That combination of protection and platform is letting Hokit push further than anyone else would be allowed to push. Any other fighter gets removed from a press conference for that behavior and they're getting a phone call from Hunter Campbell. Hokit gets removed and he's still fighting on the biggest card of the year because the President asked for him.

That dynamic is only going to get worse the more he wins. And at some point, the act is going to cost him something that the talent can't get back.

Derrick Lewis called him a clown. Strickland said he went too far. Topuria nearly fought him on stage. Pereira got disrespected in a language he couldn't defend himself in. And Hokit was trending on every MMA site for all the wrong reasons.

9-0 with all the talent in the world. And last night none of that mattered because the persona ate the fighter alive.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in!

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at the UFC Freedom 250 press conference?

Josh Hokit disrupted the press conference by insulting multiple fighters including Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria. He referenced Topuria's divorce, told Pereira to "speak English," and called Topuria a "little short midget." Topuria confronted him and threw something at him. Dana White ended the press conference early and security removed Hokit from the stage.

What did Strickland say about Hokit?

Sean Strickland publicly criticized Hokit saying "this is wild coming from me, but Josh goes way too far. Chandler's wife, Ilia Topuria's ex. I know it's the WWE thing, but it's too much." Strickland specifically took issue with Hokit bringing fighters' families and personal relationships into the trash talk.

What did Derrick Lewis say?

Lewis said he couldn't hear what Hokit was saying during the press conference and that he'd never watched any of his fights. His full assessment of Hokit was "I've heard that he's just a clown. That's all."

Is Hokit still fighting at the White House card?

Yes. Hokit vs Derrick Lewis is still scheduled for UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 on the White House South Lawn. The fight was reportedly requested by President Trump.

What is Hokit's record?

Hokit is 9-0 as a professional with four UFC wins. He trains at Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He's a former two sport All American at Fresno State and spent time on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad before transitioning to MMA.