Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Sean Strickland will not be attending UFC Freedom 250.
That’s because, according to Strickland, he has been banned from the historic event, which goes down next weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026) in front of the White House on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
Strickland revealed the news in the comments section of a UFC promo video for Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane, claiming his past comments about political leaders are the reason he won’t be allowed anywhere near the event.
“UFC at the White House with [Benjamin Netanyahu] in the audience. Straight [Israel] slop,” Strickland wrote. “To be fair, they did ban me. But when you make fun of the leaders of America, they tend to be a little petty lol by leaders, I mean Israel.”
Naturally, a fan asked Strickland why he was banned.
“I made fun of Israel and Epstein,” Strickland replied. “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.”
So, in other words, it is not exactly shocking that UFC and White House officials might not want to risk giving him a live microphone or putting him anywhere near the South Lawn during one of the biggest promotional events in company history.
Well, apparently, he won’t get that chance.
UFC Freedom 250 is shaping up to be one of the most unique events in the promotion’s history, with UFC Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria unifying the title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event.
Strickland, however, will be watching from somewhere else.
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