UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland caused a stir at the UFC Freedom 250 event before he was removed by Secret Service members and other law enforcement.
“The unplanned presence of Sean Strickland drew significant attention from attendees, resulting in disorder,” the United States Park Police Public Information Office wrote in a statement to ESPN on Monday, June 15. “Due to concerns for Strickland’s safety and the safety of event patrons, personnel from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Park Police and other assisting agencies evacuated him safely from the area.”
Authorities confirmed Stickland, 35, was neither cited nor arrested, but was told not to return to the venue for his own safety. The UFC fighter was ultimately transported back to his hotel with no issues.
In a series of Instagram Stories, Strickland documented his experience near the national park in Washington, D.C.
“I’m pretty sure I didn’t break a law. I’m pretty sure,” he said in one video. “I may have been charged with disorderly conduct. I don’t know what that is, but sounds cool. I just want to thank you, fans. I can’t thank you guys enough. After being banned, it means a lot to me.”
In a separate Instagram post, Strickland shared a photo of officers escorting him away from the event.
“**NOT AMERICAN ENOUGH,” he captioned the post. “THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT. MMA FANS ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST.”
UFC Freedom 250 was an MMA event produced by the UFC and held on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, June 14.
The event served as both an early commemoration of America’s 250th Independence anniversary and a celebration of President Donald Trump‘s 80th birthday.
Strickland claimed he was banned from UFC Freedom 250. UFC CEO Dana White, however, disputed the claim and implied Strickland simply had not been invited.
“Of course Sean Strickland isn’t banned,” White said via ESPN. “Sean Strickland is banned from humanity. We don’t want him near any human beings anywhere. He shows up at Power Slap and starts fights. He made it very clear he didn’t want to be a part of this event, and now he’s banned apparently — nobody is banned. Nobody’s music is banned, no media members have been banned.”
Strickland was once one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in combat sports. The athlete, however, has changed his tone and criticized how the president handled strikes on Iran.
“I stopped supporting Trump after Israel made him bomb Iran the first time,” he wrote via X on June 9. “Trump ‘stop bombing Iran’ Israel ‘Trump we need your bombers’ Trump ‘yes papa BB [Netanyahu] I got you.’”
