If you want to root for Josh Hokit with a clear conscience when he fights for the UFC heavyweight title Saturday, Nov. 14, you need to familiarize yourself with Joaquin Buckley.
Buckley, 32, has enough experience in and outside of the UFC’s octagon to offer an opinion worth considering.
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“Dude is a racist,” Buckley has tweeted about Hokit.
It doesn’t take a search party to find potential evidence. On three occasions, Hokit has targeted prominent Black women.
After winning a fight on June 14 at the White House, Hokit said Michelle Obama is a man. He said the same thing about basketball star Brittney Griner on Jan. 24. And the rap song he released this month includes an explicit line about Obama.
Coming to Hokit’s defense
About a year ago, someone jumped to Hokit’s defense. That would be Hokit himself.
In a post on X, he wrote: “My wife is half black and my mom is Mexican & was born in Campeche, Mexico.”
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Among character defenses, this one will not be taught at Harvard or Yale law schools. Arguing you are not racist does not give you license to make dehumanizing, if not outright racist comments – in this case, accusing Black women of being men.
Hokit, an undersized athlete, is an extraordinary athlete. He’s quick. Strong. Fast. Smart.
That’s why he’s 10-0 in MMA and fighting for the heavyweight championship.
His April victory over Curtis Blaydes by decision was a classic slugfest, among the best heavyweight fights in recent memory.
To call him an artist is a stretch, but Hokit’s non-racial freestyle raps are entertaining – and even more impressive if you consider he grew up in the San Joaquin Valley in central California, not exactly the mecca of rap.
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His interviews can be zany and fun – until they turn dark.
How will you explain your decision?
Then there’s Daniel Cormier, the UFC legend. Cormier, who is Black, called Hokit’s description of Obama as a man “disgusting,” “nasty,” and “gross.”
But this week, video showed the two of them engaged in a playful banter. Hokit has the kind of charisma and charm that can lead to forgiveness. But then Hokit’s post-fight interviews start anew.
Ben Holsher, who coached Hokit for two years at Clovis High School, suggested Hokit will have to answer for what he’s said.
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“Josh is going to have to look back at his interviews, and one day Josh is going to have kids and he’s going to have to explain how he wants his kids to act,” Holsher said.
So before you root for Hokit Saturday night against Ciryl Gane, a Black Frenchman, consider a similar exercise: whether it’s today or 20 years from now, how will you explain it to your kids?
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Rooting for Josh Hokit in UFC 344 title fight requires careful consideration | Opinion
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
