Sean Strickland claims UFC bans him from White House card attendance

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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 Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) It doesn’t appear that Sean Strickland is going to be front and center for the UFC White House card on June 14. The always outspoken UFC middleweight champion took to social media to reveal he’s been banned from the event while claiming it all stems from his criticism aimed at President Donald Trump and his longstanding relationship with Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While UFC officials have been adamant that only so many seats are going to be made available for the event — there were no ticket sales and fans aren’t allowed to attend — Strickland apparently planned on going but that’s no longer happening. “UFC at the White House with [Benjamin Netanyahu] in the audience. Straight slop,” Strickland wrote on Instagram. “To be fair, they did ban me. But when you make fun of the leaders of America, they tend to be a little bit petty. By leaders, I mean Israel.” Strickland has been rather vocal in his opposition to the ongoing conflict in Iran after he openly supported Trump’s re-election in 2024. But now he says his words have come back to haunt him, at least regarding Strickland potentially attending what is expected to go down as the biggest UFC event of the year. “The only male American champ banned at the White House because I said Trump is owned by [Benjaimin Netanyahu]. That’s not public opinion, it’s fact.” When asked for specifics on what he said that earned him the ban, Strickland added, “I made fun of Israel and [Jeffrey] Epstein.” Now the UFC hasn’t actually responded to Strickland’s claims so there’s no telling if he’s actually banned or just not attending the event. Either way, Strickland had no problem voicing his frustrations and it appears he won’t be backing down from his current rhetoric aimed at Trump and his relationship with Israel.

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Sean Strickland apparently won’t be attending the UFC White House card after comments he made about President Trump