Sean Strickland removed from UFC White House event by Secret Service

UFC middleweight champion and controversial online personality Sean Strickland was escorted out of the UFC 250 Freedom Fan Fest at the Ellipse near the White House Saturday afternoon. Strickland, who said he’d been banned days before the festivities, was swarmed by fans at the daytime event ahead of Saturday night’s bouts. The fighter was removed […]

UFC middleweight champion and controversial online personality Sean Strickland was escorted out of the UFC 250 Freedom Fan Fest at the Ellipse near the White House Saturday afternoon.

Strickland, who said he’d been banned days before the festivities, was swarmed by fans at the daytime event ahead of Saturday night’s bouts. The fighter was removed by Secret Service agents after scaling a ring at the park and leading chants of “USA, USA.”

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Strickland became a key figure in the UFC after upsetting then-champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in 2023, but has since become prominent for inflammatory online rhetoric about Jeffrey Epstein and Israel.

MMA fighter Sean Strickland is escorted out of the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse by U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement ahead of UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool Photo via AP)

The UFC Freedom 250 event held on Sunday coincided with President Donald Trump’s birthday. Trump announced a peace deal with Iran on Sunday afternoon.