UFC star removed from UFC White House event by Secret Service
A controversial UFC star was removed from a fan festival prior to the UFC White House card on Sunday evening.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland hit headlines earlier this week when he claimed he was banned from attending the historic UFC Freedom 250 card.
Strickland, who is in his second reign with the strap, took to X to claim that he received a call from "UFC higher-ups" and was prohibited from being present.
He said he would still try his luck and "attempt to stand outside the gate".
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In response, UFC chief Dana White said that the only reason Strickland wouldn't be able to attend was because "there are only 4,300 tickets" as he stated he "isn't banned".
White said: "Of course Sean Strickland isn't banned [from the event]. Sean Strickland is banned from humanity. We don't want him near any human beings anywhere.
"He made it very clear he didn't want to be part of this event, and now he's banned apparently – nobody is banned."
Strickland decided to crash the press conference in front of the Lincoln Memorial, calling out Donald Trump in another rant and later fighting fans in bizarre scenes.
READ MORE: UFC breaks its own rule minutes into White House card with rare move
He then decided to show up at the UFC Freedom 250 fan festival at the Ellipse, causing chaos again and being mobbed by fans.
However, security soon intervened and Strickland was escorted away from the event.
Pictures showed him being taken away by a combination of Secret Service members and event security. Strickland posted the picture, with the caption, "Best fans in the world!".
On Instagram, he shared a video of him in what looked like a security vehicle and said: "I’m pretty sure I didn’t break a law, like I’m pretty sure. But we might be going to jail, but I’m pretty sure we didn’t break no laws.”
Following up in a second video, Strickland added: "Alright guys, I may have been charged with disorderly conduct - I don't know what that is but it sounds cool.
"Anyways, I just want to thank you guys. After being banned, you guys have been riding with me and supporting me. It means a lot to me, thank you."
Strickland last fought in May when he beat Khamzat Chimaev to reclaim the middleweight title which he lost to Dricus du Plessis in January 2024.
Strickland beat Chimaev via split decision in a five-round affair at UFC 238.
Topics: UFC, Dana White
Josh Lawless