UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland recently grabbed the headlines after stating he has been barred from attending the White House this weekend, but White has quickly refuted such claims11:09, 10 Jun 2026Dana White has denied Sean Strickland's claims that he has been banned from attending this weekend's UFC White House event.‌The one-of-a-kind showcase will take place on Sunday night on US President Donald Trump's birthday. This weekend's blockbuster event will be headlined by a lightweight title showdown between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira will move up to heavyweight and take on Ciryl Gane for the vacant 265lb gold strap.‌Tickets to attend the event - billed as 'UFC Freedom 250 event' - were NOT available to the public. The 5,000 spectators that will sit cageside were invited by the UFC, the Trump administration, or are active military members. It's the hottest ticket in town, but UFC middleweight champion Strickland recently stunned fans after claiming he has been barred from stepping foot on the South Lawn.‌The 35-year-old is no stranger when it comes to speaking his mind on social media and the American recently took to social media to reveal that he has been prohibited from the event - claiming it stems from his criticism aimed at Trump and his relationship with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page‌“UFC at the White House with [Benjamin Netanyahu] in the audience. Straight slop,” Strickland wrote on Instagram. “To be fair, they did ban me. But when you make fun of the leaders of America, they tend to be a little bit petty. By leaders, I mean Israel.” He added: “The only male American champ banned at the White House because I said Trump is owned by [Benjaimin Netanyahu]. That’s not public opinion, it’s fact.”Despite his claims, White insists the UFC star is NOT banned. “Everybody’s banned apparently. Apparently f****** everybody is banned,” White joked when asked about Strickland’s comments on Tuesday during a media scrum. “Of course, Sean Strickland isn’t [banned]. Sean Strickland is banned from humanity. We don’t want him near any human beings anywhere. F****** shows up at Power Slap, he starts fights.“He made it very clear he didn’t want to be a part of this event and now apparently he’s banned. Nobody is banned. Nobody’s music is banned. No media members have been banned. The list goes on and on.”Article continues belowThe UFC supremo insists the majority of the tickets will be distributed to Trump's selected guests - making Sunday's card one of the most exclusive events in the history of the sport. “This is obviously a very unique event where first of all, there’s only so much room,” White said.“[My head of public relations] was telling me at the White House there’s 1,000 media members that are credentialed at the White House. So 1,000 people [want access]. No, we can’t have 1,000 of the White House media members just show up at this thing. There’s only 4,300 tickets to actually seat. Literally, nobody has been banned from this event.”