Topline
Sean Strickland, the UFC’s 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’d show up to the event anyway with a bullhorn to protest.
Sean Strickland is the UFC middleweight champion. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Strickland, an American UFC fighter who won the middleweight title last month, claimed in a video 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 “Israeli enough,” likely referring to Strickland’s history of anti-Israel comments.
Strickland said his “allegiance was apparently in the wrong place,” noting he has been a critic of the war in Iran and both the United States and Israel’s involvement.
In another video on his Instagram story, Strickland said, “I already bought my plane ticket, we’re f—ing going… I’m gonna get a big f—ing bullhorn, and we’re gonna go right up to the gates,” claiming it would be a “peaceful protest.”
UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell 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.”
The government should “never” host sporting events because “there’s more room for corruption and we already have a corrupted government,” Mitchell said, adding the role of the government is to “protect us, not entertain us.”
Strickland has previously criticized the UFC’s White House fight, saying in December he would not want to go to “hang out with the f—ing Epstein list.”
What Other UFC Figures Have Criticized The White House Fight?
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 “The Joe Rogan Experience” last week, Rogan raised concerns over safety, saying, “That seems like a good safe place to be, huh? Everyone’s going to know where all the world leaders are going to be.” 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 in March it is “weird to have a fight at the White House in the middle of a f—ing war.” UFC fighter Brandon Royval criticized the fight in November, saying, “I don’t give a s— about fighting at the f—ing White House.” Royval said he doesn’t care about any politicians or billionaires, and he likened fighting in front of them to “The Hunger Games.” Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey also slammed the event in September, saying, “I ain’t fighting at the f—ing White House.” In March, Rousey said the card for the White House fight “sucks” and “fell extremely short of expectations.”
What Do We Know About The UFC White House Fight?
UFC fighters will face off at the White House on June 14, which is both President Donald Trump’s 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 to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He said the Eiffel Tower was never taken down as planned, suggesting the UFC octagon is “quite attractive to a lot of people” and “maybe we’ll never ever take it down.” 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 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 “can’t just bend and break and roll over for every bad thing that happens in the world,” White told Rolling Stone, saying he’s “not going to not run my business” because of the war. The UFC announced the lineup in March, sparking mixed reactions from fans who felt it lacks the sport’s legends. The event’s main fight is a lightweight match between American Justin Gaethje against Ilia Topuria of Georgia.
key background
Strickland is a two-time UFC middleweight champion, winning his first title in 2023 and his second last month. Rogan has previously praised him as “one of the best fighters on planet Earth,” saying he is “one of the hardest guys to hit in the sport.” 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 for using a homophobic slur against musician Bad Bunny after his Super Bowl halftime show, calling him a “gay foreigner who doesn’t speak f—ing English” during a UFC Media Day event. The same day, he said “no one gives a f— about women’s sports,” adding, “There’s nothing wrong with women. They do great things. They cook, they clean.” 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 “yet to see one rainbow flag. We’re back!!!” referring to the start of Pride Month.
further reading
Trump Says UFC Arena Could Be Permanent At White House—Everything We Know About The Upcoming Event (Forbes)
Rogan Raises Safety Concerns About White House UFC Fight (Forbes)