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Sole American UFC Champ Sean Strickland Says One Criticism Got Him Banned From the White House Fight

aon168 image via Shutterstock
aon168 image via Shutterstock

Sean Strickland just won back the UFC middleweight title – and got himself banned from the most historic fight card in American history.

Now the only male American champion not attending UFC Freedom 250 says he knows exactly who made the call.

He's going anyway.

Sean Strickland Banned From UFC Freedom 250 After Criticizing Trump and Israel

The UFC's June 14 White House event – officially dubbed UFC Freedom 250 – marks the first professional sporting event ever held on the South Lawn, staged as part of America's 250th anniversary celebration and timed to coincide with President Trump's 80th birthday.

The once fervent Trump supporter says he expected to be there.

Then the phone rang.

"I got the call," Strickland said in a video posted to X. "The UFC higher-ups called me, you know, the big names, and they said, 'Sean, I've got to apologize but you're not Israeli enough to go to UFC 250 Israel Edition.'"

When a fan on Instagram asked point-blank why he was excluded, Strickland didn't soften it.

"I made fun of Israel and Epstein," he wrote. "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."

Neither the UFC nor the White House has officially confirmed the ban.

Strickland Vows to Protest Outside White House on June 14 With Championship Belt

The middleweight champion isn't staying home.

He posted the defiant message publicly: "Sorry Israel. BTW we're still gonna go. I'll bring a bull horn."

Strickland's video was loaded with sarcasm – a running "apology" to Trump and Israel for his past criticism.

"Whenever the Epstein list disappeared and Trump goes out there and says that he can't really go into it because people by association would get prosecuted," Strickland said, "I want to apologize because I don't want them to be prosecuted."

He spent equal time mocking the administration's Iran policy, sarcastically defending the cost American families paid fighting what he called Israel's war.

He also posted separately on Instagram: "UFC at the White House with Netanyahu in the audience. Straight slop. To be fair, they did ban me. But when you make fun of the leaders of America, they tend to be a little petty – by leaders, I mean Israel."

He invited anyone planning to be in Washington on June 14 to join him outside the gates.

UFC Freedom 250: First Sporting Event Ever Held at the White House

No president has ever hosted a professional sporting event on White House grounds – until now.

A custom Octagon is going up on the South Lawn, with seating for roughly 5,000 invited guests and giant screens on the Ellipse capable of handling 85,000 additional spectators. Fighters will make their walk to the cage directly from the Oval Office.

The main event is a lightweight title unification bout between undisputed champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje. Alex Pereira fights Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main – a win would make Pereira the first three-division champion in UFC history.

Strickland – the sitting middleweight champion – is the only male American titleholder not on the guest list.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz also told Fox News he was passed over, despite being one of the sport's foundational stars from its early days.

The Fighter Who Used to Be Trump's Guy

This isn't a story about a lifelong critic turning on the administration.

Strickland was once a vocal Trump supporter – photographed with the president, aligned with MAGA politics, and willing to say things in public that most fighters wouldn't touch.

Now he's taking a stand.

The backlash within conservative circles has been uneven. Many fans are siding with Strickland on the Epstein and foreign policy questions. A few think he went too far.

What nobody is debating: the reigning middleweight champion of the world says he got a call telling him he wasn't cleared for the White House – and instead of going quiet, he announced exactly where he'd be standing on June 14 and what he'd be carrying.

That's the story. Not whether the ban is real. The story is what Strickland did the moment he says it happened.

Sources:

  • Michael Aldon, "Sean Strickland Claims UFC Banned Him from White House Card for Criticizing Trump," Athlon Sports, June 3, 2026.
  • MMA Weekly Staff, "Sean Strickland says he's banned from UFC White House event: 'I'm not Israeli enough,'" MMA Weekly, June 4, 2026.
  • Ryan Gaydos, "UFC announces card for White House event," Fox News, 2026.
  • Washington Examiner Staff, "Octagon on the South Lawn: Trump's UFC Freedom 250 White House event," Washington Examiner, June 2026.

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