UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland got in trouble with the matchmakers over recent comments about UFC White House.
Many current and former UFC champions are expected to attend the upcoming White House event later this month. According to UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, he’s the only one excluded from the invitations.
Strickland, who reclaimed the UFC middleweight title by defeating Khamzat Chimaev last month, has been especially vocal about U.S. Politics in recent months. He’s went from a staunch supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump to a skeptic, as he’s expressed repeatedly on social media.
According to Strickland, his recent criticism of some of the U.S. President’s policies led to the UFC matchmakers giving him a call to formally exclude him from the White House event.
Sean Strickland says UFC ‘banned’ him from UFC White House after Israel criticism
After one Instagram follower asked Strickland why he was banned from the upcoming event, the UFC middleweight champion explained his side.
“I made fun of Israel and Epstein,” Strickland began. “The only male American champ banned at the White House because I said Trump is owned by [Benjamin Netanyahu]. That’s not public opinion, it’s fact.”
In a recent Instagram post, Strickland expressed defiance in response to the matchmakers excluding him from attending UFC White House.
Sean Strickland got “the call” from the UFC, but says he’s still going to Washington DC to protest the event 😭
“I got the call, UFC higher ups called me. They said I’m not Israeli enough to go to UFC 250 Israel edition.
I already bought ymy plane ticket, we’re f*cking going.… https://t.co/6sri1cYTuD pic.twitter.com/OFRIR9NyGK
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 3, 2026
“I got the call, the UFC higher ups calle dme, they said I’m not Israeli enough to go to UFC 250 Israel edition,” Strickland said.
“I already bought my plane ticket, and we’re f***** going. I’m going to bring the belt, and I’ll get a big f***** bullhorn and go right up to the gates. We’re going to do a peaceful protest!”
UFC White House is expected to feature the largest security presence for a UFC event in the promotion’s history. If Strickland follows through on his declarations, it could get messy outside of the venue.
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