Mixed Martial Arts fighter Sean Strickland found himself at the center of controversy after being removed from the UFC Freedom 250 event by the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies. This came on the heels of his disparaging remarks about Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier in the month, Strickland had claimed he was barred from the significant MMA event, hosted on the South Lawn of the White House. His exclusion stemmed from comments he made regarding President Donald Trump’s alleged ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Despite the ban, Strickland made a bold move on Sunday by showing up at the event’s Fan Fest held at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. His unexpected presence sparked immediate tension among the MMA fans, many of whom support the MAGA movement. They quickly converged around the ring, expressing their displeasure through boos and jeers.
The situation escalated to the point where Secret Service agents stepped in to escort Strickland from the premises. As he was led away, the crowd erupted into chants of “USA,” underscoring the charged atmosphere of the event.
Strickland was then kicked out of the event, escorted away by Secret Service agents to chants of ‘USA’ from the crowd.
‘UFC at the White House with [Netanyahu] in the audience. Straight slop,’ Strickland, the MMA promotion’s undisputed middleweight champion wrote on Instagram.
Sean Strickland was escorted out of a UFC Freedom 250 event by US Secret Service
The MMA fighter snuck into the Fan Fest after previously claiming he had been banned
Law enforcement swiftly moved into action, detaining Strickland and kicking him out
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.’
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,’ he said. ‘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,’ he continued. ‘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.
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.’
More to follow.