Topline<\/p>\n
Sean Strickland, the UFC\u2019s reigning middleweight champion who may be just as well known for his history of offensive statements, claimed he is blacklisted from the UFC White House fight over his critical comments on Israel, suggesting he\u2019d show up to the event anyway with a bullhorn to protest.<\/p>\n
Sean Strickland is the UFC middleweight champion. (Photo by Jack Gorman\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Strickland, an American UFC fighter who won the middleweight title last month, claimed in a video<\/a> on X unnamed UFC higher-ups called him to say he cannot attend the upcoming White House fight, quipping the executives told him he is not \u201cIsraeli enough,\u201d likely referring to Strickland\u2019s history of anti-Israel comments.<\/p>\n Strickland said his \u201callegiance was apparently in the wrong place,\u201d noting he has been a critic of the war in Iran and both the United States and Israel\u2019s involvement.<\/p>\n In another video on his Instagram story, Strickland said, \u201cI already bought my plane ticket, we\u2019re f\u2014ing going\u2026 I\u2019m gonna get a big f\u2014ing bullhorn, and we\u2019re gonna go right up to the gates,\u201d claiming it would be a \u201cpeaceful protest.\u201d <\/p>\n UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell<\/a> backed Strickland at a press event late Wednesday and blasted the White House fight, saying the government is “desecrating its role in society by entertaining sports.\u201d<\/p>\n The government should \u201cnever\u201d host sporting events because \u201cthere’s more room for corruption and we already have a corrupted government,\u201d Mitchell said, adding the role of the government is to \u201cprotect us, not entertain us.\u201d <\/p>\n Strickland has previously criticized<\/a> the UFC\u2019s White House fight, saying in December he would not want to go to \u201chang out with the f\u2014ing Epstein list.\u201d<\/p>\n What Other UFC Figures Have Criticized The White House Fight?<\/p>\n Joe Rogan, a longtime UFC commentator, has repeatedly criticized the upcoming fight on his podcast, despite being slated to attend and call the event. On \u201cThe Joe Rogan Experience\u201d last week, Rogan raised concerns<\/a> over safety, saying, \u201cThat seems like a good safe place to be, huh? Everyone\u2019s going to know where all the world leaders are going to be.\u201d He has frequently criticized the logistics of the event, saying a UFC championship should not be held outdoors because of potential disturbances like bad weather, bugs or high heat. Rogan, also a frequent critic of the Iran war, said<\/a> in March it is \u201cweird to have a fight at the White House in the middle of a f\u2014ing war.\u201d UFC fighter Brandon Royval criticized the fight in November, saying, \u201cI don\u2019t give a s\u2014 about fighting at the f\u2014ing White House.\u201d Royval said he doesn\u2019t care about any politicians or billionaires, and he likened fighting in front of them to \u201cThe Hunger Games.\u201d Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey<\/a> also slammed the event in September, saying, \u201cI ain\u2019t fighting at the f\u2014ing White House.\u201d In March, Rousey said<\/a> the card for the White House fight \u201csucks\u201d and \u201cfell extremely short of expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n What Do We Know About The UFC White House Fight?<\/p>\n UFC fighters will face off at the White House<\/a> on June 14, which is both President Donald Trump\u2019s 80th birthday and Flag Day, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Construction of a 4,000-seat arena is underway on the South Lawn, which Trump earlier this week compared<\/a> to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He said the Eiffel Tower was never taken down as planned, suggesting the UFC octagon is \u201cquite attractive to a lot of people\u201d and \u201cmaybe we\u2019ll never ever take it down.\u201d The UFC is expected to spend $60 million on the event, with UFC president Dana White claiming the organization will likely lose $30 million. White has defended<\/a> the event against critics, including those who have called it insensitive or unsafe to host a fight at the White House during a war. The UFC \u201ccan\u2019t just bend and break and roll over for every bad thing that happens in the world,\u201d White told Rolling Stone<\/a>, saying he\u2019s \u201cnot going to not run my business\u201d because of the war. The UFC announced the lineup in March, sparking mixed reactions<\/a> from fans who felt it lacks the sport\u2019s legends. The event\u2019s main fight is a lightweight match between American Justin Gaethje against Ilia Topuria of Georgia.<\/p>\n key background<\/p>\n Strickland is a two-time UFC middleweight champion, winning his first title in 2023 and his second last month. Rogan has previously praised<\/a> him as \u201cone of the best fighters on planet Earth,\u201d saying he is \u201cone of the hardest guys to hit in the sport.\u201d But Strickland also regularly draws outrage for making controversial and offensive statements that have targeted women, LGBTQ people and people of color, and he has sparked backlash for using racial and homophobic slurs. Earlier this year, he drew backlash<\/a> for using a homophobic slur against musician Bad Bunny after his Super Bowl halftime show, calling him a \u201cgay foreigner who doesn\u2019t speak f\u2014ing English\u201d during a UFC Media Day event. The same day, he said \u201cno one gives a f\u2014 about women\u2019s sports,\u201d adding, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with women. They do great things. They cook, they clean.\u201d Earlier this week, he posted an apparently AI-generated video on Instagram of himself beating a transgender woman in a UFC octagon, saying he has \u201cyet to see one rainbow flag. We’re back!!!\u201d referring to the start of Pride Month.<\/p>\n further reading<\/p>\n