MMA fighter Sean Strickland claims he’s been banned from attending UFC Freedom 250 at the White House over his comments about President Donald Trump’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
‘UFC at the White House with [Netanyahu] in the audience. Straight slop,’ Strickland, the MMA promotion’s undisputed middleweight champion wrote on Instagram.
Internet rumors have circulated claiming Netanyahu will be on hand when Trump celebrates his 80th birthday on June 14 by holding cage fights on the White House’s South Lawn. However, his attendance has not been confirmed amid the United States’ ongoing war with Iran.
‘To be fair, they did ban me,’ Strickland continued. ‘But when you make fun of the leaders of America, they tend to be a little bit petty. By leaders, I mean Israel.’
Strickland wasn’t finished. Asked directly why he wouldn’t be in attendance at UFC Freedom 250, Strickland put a finer point on it: ‘I made fun of Israel and Epstein.’
He then added: ‘The only male American champ banned at the White House because I said Trump is owned by [Netanyahu]. That’s not public opinion, it’s fact.’
Sean Strickland claims he’s been banned from attending UFC Freedom 250 at the White House over his comments about President Donald Trump’s ties to Israel and Jeffrey Epstein
Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday on June 14 with a UFC event at the White House
Strickland made his claims on social media. UFC spokespeople have not responded publicly
Later, in a video posted on X, Strickland claimed UFC staff called him to say the White House did not clear his attendance at UFC Freedom 250.
He then facetiously apologized to Israel and Trump.
‘Moving forward, I would like to just apologize to Israel. I would like to say “I’m sorry,” you know? I’d like to apologize to Trump. And I just want to prove that I’m Israeli enough to you guys. For instance, whenever the [Epstein] list disappeared and Trump goes out there and says to everybody that he can’t really go into it because people by association will be prosecuted and their names will be tarnished. I want to apologize, because I don’t want them to be prosecuted.
Or when Trump goes and bombs the f*** out of Iran… sorry I’ve been a critic of that. My allegiance was apparently in the wrong place and I just want to apologize.
Or when Trump goes out there and [a reporter says] your approval ratings are the lowest its ever been across all demographics and Trump says “you know what, I have a 99-percent approval rating in Israel,” I want to apologize and I want to repent. Apparently I’m not American enough to go to Freedom 250, but I still got my ticket so maybe I’ll just go and bring the [middleweight title] belt and just stand outside the gate and just let them know what we really think about Trump and Israel.
The Daily Mail has sought comment from the UFC.
An outspoken conservative and former Trump supporter, Strickland has been at odds with the White House over the release of the Epstein Files , the President’s ties to the late sex trafficker, as well as the belief that Israel pushed the US into attacking Iran.
Strickland is just weeks removed from his split-decision victory over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, so he was never a candidate to participate at UFC Freedom 250, which will be headlined by the Ilia Topuria-Justin Gaethje main event.
But he has been outspoken about UFC Freedom 250 on social media, once predicting that Netanyahu would ‘set the record for the loudest public shaming’ if he attended.
And in a recent online response to conservative provocateur Matt Walsh, Strickland went after Trump directly: ‘Trump went from MAGA to Make Israel great real fast.’
Strickland is among those who are displeased with Trump’s handling of the Epstein files
Strickland has also accused Trump of being pushed into war with Iran by Netanyahu (left)
Strickland made news earlier this week when his fixation with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney took a disturbing turn on social media. The middleweight champ posted AI footage of himself bludgeoning someone with Mulvaney’s likeness in a reference to her 2023 Bud Light campaign that sparked a short-lived conservative boycott of the brand.
Strickland’s recent Instagram post was well received by his followers, several of whom also added antisemitic comments for some reason. However, he got a somewhat different reaction on X, where he wrote: ‘Say what you want about Trump but June has got far less gay.’
X influencer Morgan Moore asked him why he is ‘so obsessed with anything gay.’
Strickland responded by calling homosexuality ‘anti American,’ but was met with many more questions about his fascination with the topic.
He previously attacked trans people by calling them ‘an infection’ and ‘the definition of weakness.’
UFC boss Dana White has criticized Strickland as a ‘nightmare’ to work with, but has continued to book the veteran fighter, who remains one of the more visible talents in the sport.
Just don’t expect to see him at the White House on June 14.
