Dana White denies Sean Strickland’s UFC White House ban, says he’s ‘banned from humanity’

UFC CEO Dana White called Sean Strickland’s bluff after the middleweight champ’s recent claim that he’s ‘banned’ from the White House.

The UFC’s most ambitious venture is just days away from coming to fruition. UFC Freedom 250, set to take place on the White House lawn, features seven fights, including the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje main event.

The UFC’s first-ever event on the White House lawn is also expected to feature its highest security presence. Between the UFC’s security team and the U.S. Secret Service, all precautions are being taken as a few thousand people prepare to watch the event cageside.

Ahead of UFC White House, UFC middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland, the promotion’s lone male American champion, claimed he was banned from the event after criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies. Strickland said UFC executives called him over the past week to inform him he wasn’t allowed to attend the event, although Strickland said he plans on hosting a ‘peaceful protest’.

According to UFC CEO Dana White, Strickland’s claims are fraudulent.

Dana White: Sean Strickland ‘banned from humanity’, not from the White House

In a recent media scrum, White responded to Strickland’s claim that the UFC executives banned him from attending the White House event.

“Everybody’s banned, apparently. Apparently, f****** everybody is banned. Of course, Sean Strickland isn’t,” White said.

“Sean Strickland is banned from humanity, ok? We don’t want him near any human beings anywhere. F***** shows up to Power Slap and starts fights, and he made it very clear that he didn’t want to be a part of this event. And now, apparently, he’s banned? Nobody’s banned, no music is banned, no media is banned, and the list goes on and on.

“This is obviously a very unique event where, first of all, there’s only so much room,” White continued. “I saw something about Diego Lopes’ music was banned. That’s the song he’s walking out to; it was never banned and never brought up. There’s a lot of b******* out there right now.”

Strickland is expected to be sidelined for a few months before plotting his return to the Octagon. He suffered several injuries in his win over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.

In the meantime, while White and Strickland don’t exactly share a solid relationship, it appears that the middleweight champ is welcome to attend UFC White House this weekend.

Who should fight Sean Strickland next for the UFC middleweight title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!