Sean
Strickland didn’t make it to the
UFC White House event, but he did manage to cause a scene a
little before the card was scheduled to begin.
The
UFC middleweight champion briefly made his way to the
promotion’s fan fest at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. However,
after entering a WWE ring and delighting nearby fans, Strickland
was escorted off the premises by security.
“I may have been charged with disorderly conduct. I don’t know what
that is but it sounds cool,” Strickland said later on his Instagram
Stories. “Anyways, I just want to thank you fans. I can’t thank you
guys enough. After being banned, you guys riding, supporting me, it
means a lot to me.”
It is currently unclear if Strickland has been formally charged at
this point in time.
Making Waves
Strickland caused a stir leading up to UFC White House when he
claimed that he was banned from attending the event due to
controversial remarks he made about Israel and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. Dana White denied that Strickland had been
banned from the event, pointing out that attendance was limited by
space and seating restrictions. Strickland was also present at the
pre-fignt press conference one day prior.
Always a controversial figure outside of the cage, Strickland began
his second championship reign with an upset victory over Khamzat
Chimaev at UFC 328
on May 9. He initially emerged as a significant star with a
championship victory over Israel
Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.