(José Niño, Headline USA) UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland claims he was barred from attending UFC Freedom 250 at the White House because he criticized Israel and President Donald Trump, and plans to show up anyway with his championship belt and a bullhorn to protest outside the gates.
UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for June 14, 2026, coinciding with Trump’s 80th birthday, on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate the nation’s 250th Independence Day anniversary. The invite-only event will host roughly 5,000 attendees selected by the UFC and Trump administration, including military personnel and VIPs, with no public ticket sales. The main card features UFC Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defending against interim champion Justin Gaethje, plus Alex Pereira versus Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship.
Strickland went public about his exclusion in comments on a UFC Instagram post and then posted a video, saying: “UFC higher-ups called me… They said, ‘Sean, I got to apologize, but you’re not Israeli enough to go to UFC 250: Israel Edition, per a report by BJPenn.com. The White House didn’t clear you.'” He added: “I already bought my plane ticket, and we’re going. I’m going to bring the belt, and I’ll get a big bullhorn and go right up to the gates. We’re going to do a peaceful protest!”
Sorry Israel. BTW were still gonna go. Ill bring a bull horn. pic.twitter.com/GctCJnr59F
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 3, 2026
The champion attributes the ban to two factors, according to Yahoo Sports. As Middle Easy has reported, Strickland has publicly criticized Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah—posting “Israel ‘jump’ Trump ‘how high’.” He has also made references to the Epstein files in relation to Trump. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly backed Strickland on X, writing “Unreal. Here it is. It’s true,” per a report by Newsweek.
Rather than accepting the ban quietly, Strickland told Bloody Elbow he already bought a plane ticket to Washington and plans to show up outside the White House gates for what he calls a peaceful protest. “I’ll bring the belt and we’ll stand outside the gate and let them know what we really think about Trump and Israel,” Strickland stated.
The UFC nor the White House have not publicly confirmed or commented on Strickland’s claims. Nor have they made any statements when Headline USA reached out to them.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
