Dana White clarifies Sean Strickland's status for UFC White House card

The middleweight champion claimed prior to the White House event that he was banned, and now could be facing legal charges.

Sean Strickland turned UFC Freedom 250’s already chaotic White House fight week into another spectacle by showing up at the fan fest despite claiming he had been blocked from the event. The UFC middleweight champion had spent the build-up saying he was banned or not cleared, while Dana White publicly pushed back and said Strickland was simply not on a limited guest list.

Sean Strickland didn’t make it to the UFC White House event, but he did manage to cause a scene a little before the card was scheduled to begin.

Middleweight champion Sean Strickland, one of the UFC’s most controversial fighters, claimed he was banned from this week’s events – before photos were taken of him being escorted off the grounds

Sean Strickland may face a disorderly conduct charge after sneaking into the UFC Fan Fest at the White House.

Sean Strickland didn’t get invited to the UFC White House card but he let himself in anyways

Controversy seems to follow Sean Strickland wherever he goes. Despite allegedly being warned away from the UFC White House press conference, Strickland couldn't resist, secretly attending the historic presser and leaving a trail of chaotic fans in his wake. While Dana Whiterefuted rumors that ...

UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland has arrived in Washington, D.C. for the UFC White House festivities. Though Strickland initially claimed he was banned from the event, UFC CEO Dana White recently clarified that Strickland was allowed to attend … though it didn’t sound like there would be a comped ticket for the sole US-born male […]

Dana White has cleared up any talk of anyone being banned from White House event.

Sean Strickland has said he's been banned from the UFC event at the White House, and UFC CEO Dana White addressed Stickland's assertion.

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 09: Sean Strickland reacts after a split-decision victory against Khamzat Chimaev of Russia in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 328 event at Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) Sean Strickland is sticking by his story when it comes to his alleged banning from UFC White House. On Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White responded to a claim by Strickland that the middleweight champion would not be allowed to attend Sunday’s event due to public criticisms Strickland made regarding President Donald Trump, the current administration, and Trump’s relationship with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to White, Strickland was simply a victim of the numbers game due to the limited number of tickets available for the event, and he was under the impression Strickland didn’t want to be involved with the event anyway. Strickland took to Twitter to address the controversy, claiming that after his win over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, he was told by UFC CFO Hunter Campbell that he would receive an invitation to the White House show, but was later told he “wasn’t cleared.” See Strickland’s statement below. To Dana saying I wasn’t invited… Ill clarify for this to you. After my fight Hunter said he will get it done. UFC filmed it and embedded has the footage. I later got a call from the UFC saying “I wasn’t cleared by the white house” The always outspoken Strickland doubled down on his criticisms of the Trump administration with several other tweets, before concluding that he might take time off from posting to Twitter. Could you picture me sitting next to Kash Patel "Youre good man they took all my soap" "yo what up Trump, bro really stoked you got Maxwell moved to a resort prison" "I love that you're helping your oil buddies buy more yatchs, fuck Americans am I right. MIGA" https://t.co/xVZSrcDyxj — Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 10, 2026 I stopped supporting Trump after Israel made him bomb Iran the first time… Trump "stop bombing Iran" Israel "Trump we need your bombers" Trump "yes papa BB I got you" https://t.co/W1DjjDqJv4 — Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 10, 2026 And this is why I was red flagged for the white house card. Literally definition of what America isnt — Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 10, 2026 Fuck Im sounding like Jake Shields haha alright time to take an X break lmao!!!! — Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 10, 2026

Sean Strickland claims he was not cleared to attend the UFC event because he ‘made fun of Israel and Epstein’ The only current US UFC champion says he has been barred from Sunday’s fight card on the south lawn of the White House because he dared to criticize Donald Trump, Israel and Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday night, middleweight champion Sean Strickland wrote on X that he had been informed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that he had not been cleared to attend the event by the White House. Continue reading...

Banned or not invited? Either way Sean Strickland won't be in attendance for UFC Freedom 250.

Middleweight champion Sean Strickland claimed he was banned from attending the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House due to criticism of the Trump administration. UFC CEO Dana White refuted Strickland's claim on Tuesday. "Everybody is banned apparently. Apparently f**king everybody is banned. Of ...

UFC chief executive Dana White says "nobody has been banned" from attending Sunday's UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

UFC chief executive Dana White says "nobody has been banned" from attending Sunday's UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House.

Dana White shuts down Sean Strickland's claims of being banned from attending Sunday's UFC White House event.

Dana White responded to Sean Strickland complaining that he was banned from attending the UFC White House card

TORONTO, ONTARIO - JANUARY 18: (L-R) Sean Strickland, UFC CEO Dana White, and Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa are seen on stage during the UFC 297 press conference at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre on January 18, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) | Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Sean Strickland may not be attending the UFC White House card on Sunday but it’s not because he was banned from the event. That’s according to UFC CEO Dana White, who could only scoff at Strickland’s recent declaration that he was banned from attending for speaking out against President Donald Trump over the current war in Iran and his relationship with Israel among other issues raised by the always outspoken UFC middleweight champion. “The only male American champ banned at the White House because I said Trump is owned by [Benjaimin Netanyahu],” Strickland said on social media. “That’s not public opinion, it’s fact.” While Strickland ranted about not being allowed to attend the event, White says that couldn’t be further from the truth. “Everybody’s banned apparently. Apparently f*cking everybody is banned,” White joked when asked about Strickland’s comments on Tuesday during a media scrum. “Of course, Sean Strickland isn’t [banned]. Sean Strickland is banned from humanity. We don’t want him near any human beings anywhere. F*cking shows up at Power Slap, he starts fights. “He made it very clear he didn’t want to be a part of this event and now apparently he’s banned. Nobody is banned. Nobody’s music is banned. No media members have been banned. The list goes on and on.” Strickland might be missing the fights on Sunday but it has nothing to do with him not being allowed to set foot on the White House lawn to watch the event. Instead, White says with only so many tickets available and the lion’s share going to Trump to dole out to his invited guests, the UFC White House card really is one of the most exclusive events in history. “This is obviously a very unique event where first of all, there’s only so much room,” White said. “[My head of public relations] was telling me at the White House there’s 1,000 media members that are credentialed at the White House. So 1,000 people [want access]. No, we can’t have 1,000 of the White House media members just show up at this thing. “There’s only 4,300 tickets to actually seat. Literally, nobody has been banned from this event.” It was revealed on Tuesday that the White House was actually handing over responsibility for media credentials to the UFC for the entire event on Sunday. Typically there’s a designated press corps that has regular access for press briefings, press conferences and other events happening at the White House but that’s not the case for the special UFC card happening this weekend. That means some outlets may not receive credentials to attend the event but White was adamant that nobody was actually being banned from the show. The same goes for fighters choosing their own walkout music after there was a rumor floating around that Diego Lopes had to change his selection in songs prior to fight night. White promises that was never the case and the same goes for Strickland claiming he was banned from the UFC White House card for his opinions on Trump and the way he’s handling the presidency. “There’s a lot of bullshit floating around out there right now,” White said. “Nobody is banned. Nothing is banned. “I want as many people to be inside of this thing and experience it as possible. If we could have done more seats, I would have done more. That’s why we opened up the Ellipse.”