Washington — It opened with the United States Army Herald Trumpets, accompanied by the Armed Forces Full Honor Cordon. It kicked off late, due to concerns over the weather. It was crashed by Sean Strickland, who joined the crowd, called U.S. President Donald Trump a pedophile, then fled fans who mobbed him.
It was bizarre, over the top, gaudy at times, entertaining at others. But at least the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, held at the Lincoln Memorial, was memorable.
Asked if anything has helped the promotion in tackling the unexpected on Sunday, such as the presser’s own delay, UFC CEO and President Dana White said he was sick about talking about the weather.
“Listen, the show goes on on Sunday, no matter what happens. We’re going. Don’t care if it rains, snows, whatever happens, we have a fight on Sunday. I’m sick and tired of hearing about the weather now and all the other bullsh*t surrounding this event,” exclaimed White. “We are fighting on Sunday on the White House lawn, no matter what.”
White also put to rest any rumors of the card being broadcast on CBS, who also fall under the Paramount Skydance umbrella, and who have aired UFC prelims and even main card fights on more than one occasion this year.
“It’s very simple, it’s on Paramount+. It’s very simple. The whole show is on Paramount+.”
As has been the case in the weeks building up to the White House card, however, it was Josh Hokit doing most of the talking. Even when he wasn’t asked questions directly.
“Nobody likes this guy, man. I gotta put this guy out. I believe, first-round knockout,” opponent Derrick Lewis said of Hokit.
Then it was Hokit’s turn. And instead of his over-the-top, Macho Man-like “Incredible Hok” character or his vaguely racist Mexican stereotype, Hokit went with the neurotic version of himself he calls the “regular” Josh Hokit.
“Is this thing on? Umm, umm, The Incredible Hok says he’s gonna put Derrick to sleep like Sleepy Joe [Biden]. But I like Derrick Lewis, and I just want to apologize for ruining the press conference last time,” stuttered and stammered Hokit. “And I like [Ilia] Topuria too, I like [Alex] Pereira, those are my favorite fighters and so I just want to apologize for all that.”
At the last pre-fight press conference for UFC Freedom 250, Hokit managed to get under both fighter’s skin. “I’m nervous right now, uh it’s just regular Josh today. Yeah. Thank you guys. Thanks for having me Dana. I’m trying to keep The Incredible Hok from coming out. I’m doing my best. Thank you.”
When another question was asked of Lewis, Hokit didn’t even let him finish. “I like Derrick, he’s a real nice guy. He went to jail, and now he’s on the White House. And he’s making something out of his life. It’s all about perseverance.”
“What you been saying about some drugs?” Derrick Lewis joked in response. “Sure need some tonight.”
Hokit began cutting in after nearly every question to compliment each fighter as they were addressed, all using his nervous, anxiety-ridden character. None of those fighters took the bait, until he interrupted Ilia Topuria in a less positive way.
“Topuria’s one of my favorite fighters, I’ll be honest, he knocks everybody out,” interjected Hokit. “Thank you very much but shut up,” Topuria exclaimed in response. The lightweight champion kept repeating “shut up,” to no effect, until Hokit broke out into a longer statement.
“The Incredible Hok says Pereira chews up your food and bird feeds it to you like a baby bird. I’m sorry Topuria. I can’t stand this. No one likes me because of The Incredible Hok, he’s ruining my life. I hope Derrick Lewis trained hard for this, so he could stop, he could stop this madness, because I’m tired of it. I’ve got no coaches, I’ve got no friends because of The Incredible Hok. No ones likes me.”
Later, during an exchange between Topuria and main event opponent Justin Gaethje, Hokit interjected again.
“I think Topuria’s so mad because he’s so short he can’t see himself in the bathroom mirror. And he married a stripper from Miami. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, The Incredible Hok, he’s just been getting me in trouble. I’m sorry, Topuria, I’m a real big fan though. You’re still my favorite. You have a tough task ahead of you, and Gaethje’s real hungry and he’s American, most importantly. That’s what The Incredible Hok says.”
Gaethje, for one, seemed happy to let Hokit get under his opponent’s skin, with the heavyweight doing some work for him. At that point, Dana White wrapped the presser, before Topuria had a chance to lose his cool again. Though, not entirely unexpectedly, the lightweight champ did give Gaethje a little shove during face-offs.
Whatever you think of Josh Hokit’s revolving door of personas, he’s remained undefeated in the UFC octagon to date, and is coming off a Fight of the Year contender in his win over Curtis Blaydes. If he gets past UFC knockout king Derrick Lewis, he’ll almost certainly find himself in title contention, in the mix and perhaps next in line after the winner of Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane.
UFC Freedom 250 kicks off at 8PM ET, 5PM PT on the White House lawn on Sunday, June 14, 2026.
