Sean Strickland ‘banned’ from UFC Freedom 250 event at White House over Israel comments

Controversial middleweight says that he was not approved to attend UFC Freedom 250 after comments about Donald Trump and Israel.

Published Jun 04, 2026  •  Last updated 29 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Sean Strickland fights Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight title bout during UFC 328. Getty Images

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Middleweight champion Sean Strickland apparently has talked himself out of being able to attend UFC’s biggest event of the year.

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The controversial MMA star revealed on social media that he has been “banned” from attending the event – and then went off on a wild rant about Donald Trump, the U.S. government and Israel.

In the replies to a post by the UFC’s official Instagram account promoting the UFC Freedom 250 event, Strickland posted several comments on a video featuring heavyweights Cyrill Gane and Alex Pereira.

“UFC at the white house with BB (Benjamin Netanyahu) in the audience. Straight (Israel flag emoji) slop,” Strickland posted on the social media platform.

“To be fair they did ban me… But when you make fun of the leaders of America they tend to be a little petty lol by leaders I mean Israel,” he wrote in another comment.

Strickland’s comments quickly went viral, with fans commenting on UFC posts with gifs and showing support for the fighter.

What did Strickland say in his ‘apology’ video?

The two-time middleweight champion then took to X, posting a video of himself sarcastically apologizing to Israel, Trump and others.

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“Well, you guys, I’m not surprised, but I got the call,” Strickland began in the clip, which has been viewed more than a million times. “UFC higher-ups called me, big names. They said, ‘Sean, I got to apologize, but you’re not Israeli enough to go to UFC 250: Israel edition. The White House didn’t clear you.’

“I’m not really surprised … So, I think moving forward, I would like to just apologize to Israel. I’d like to say I’m sorry, you know?

“I’d like to apologize to Trump. I just want to prove that I’m Israeli enough for you guys.”

Strickland then issued further sarcastic apologies regarding the Epstein files, the ongoing U.S. war with Iran and Trump’s relationship with Israel.

“My allegiance was apparently in the wrong place and I just want to apologize, Strickland said.

He then added that “apparently, I’m not American enough to go to Freedom 250, but I still got my ticket.

“So, maybe we’ll just go, I’ll bring the belt, and we’ll just stand outside the gate and we’ll just let ’em know what we really think about Trump and Israel, you know?”

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Strickland captioned the post: “Sorry Israel. BTW were still gonna go. Ill bring a bull horn.”

Of the UFC’s eight official men’s champions, Strickland is the only one that is American. Justin Gaethje is the interim lightweight champion and will be fighting Ilia Topuria for the official title at the event on the White House lawn on June 14.

What other controversies has Strickland been involved in?

Strickland has been one of the most outspoken athletes in UFC. Over the past few years, he has made controversial comments about race, transgenderism and LGBTQ rights.

Earlier this week in response to the beginning of Pride month, posted a controversial video on Instagram during which he is seen knocking out a transgender woman during a fight in the octagon.

In the clip, which appears to have been made using AI, Strickland is seen landing a strong kick and several punches to his opponent, who has long hair in a ponytail and is wearing a pink dress and gloves.

The opponent staggers back towards the cage, where Strickland then lands several more punches before knocking them out with two knee strikes, causing the referee to step in.

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The clip ends with a tag promoting Bud Light as the official beer sponsor of UFC.

“I’ve yet to see one rainbow flag. We’re back!!!” Strickland captioned the video while tagging Bud Light’s official account.

He also sparked outrage online after saying that he had an “excited” reaction to viewing the video of Charlie Kirk being shot.

How is Strickland’s MMA career?

The 35-year-old fighter recently regained the UFC’s middleweight title, defeating champion Khamzat Chimaev via split decision at UFC 328 last month.

Strickland previously won the championship in 2023 before losing it to Dricus du Plessis in January 2024.

He has a career record of 31 wins and seven loses, including 12 wins by knockout.

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