Sean Strickland, the only current American men's UFC champion, has claimed he was barred from attending Sunday's fight card at the White House because he criticised Donald Trump, Israel and Jeffrey Epstein. The middleweight champion wrote on X that the UFC informed him he had not been cleared by the White House.
Strickland stated that a UFC official initially said he would resolve the issue, but later called to say he was not cleared. When asked for specifics, Strickland replied: 'I made fun of Israel and Epstein.' In a subsequent post, he added: '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.'
The fighter, who reclaimed his title in May, was once a vocal Trump supporter but soured on the president after US strikes on Iran last year. He wrote: 'I stopped supporting Trump after Israel made him bomb Iran the first time.'
UFC CEO Dana White dismissed the claim, saying: 'Of course, Sean Strickland isn't banned. Sean Strickland is banned from humanity. We don't want him near any human beings anywhere.' The White House and UFC did not respond to requests for comment.
The event, UFC Freedom 250, is scheduled for 14 June on the south lawn of the White House, coinciding with Flag Day and Trump's 80th birthday. A watchdog group has filed a lawsuit alleging the administration broke federal laws to accommodate the commercial event.
