Dana White: Sean Strickland isn't banned from UFC White House

WASHINGTON – Dana White has refuted Sean Strickland‘s claims of being banned from attending UFC Freedom 250.

Last week, the UFC middleweight champion said the promotion had banned him from Sunday’s event at the White House, while also going on a political rant, criticizing President Donald Trump’s backing of Israel in its ongoing conflict with Palestine. Strickland said the UFC brass called him and said he was “not Israeli enough” to attend.

Speaking to MMA Junkie and other media members Tuesday, White said said that wasn’t the case – though he stopped short of saying Strickland was expressly invited or if he would attend.

“Everybody’s banned, apparently,” White said. “Apparently, fcking everybody is banned. Of course Sean Strickland isn’t banned. Sean Strickland is banned from humanity, OK? We don’t want him near any human beings anywhere. Fcking shows up at Power Slap, he starts fights – and he made it very clear he didn’t want to be a part of this event, and now, apparently, (he’s saying) he’s banned.”

White assured the UFC isn’t trying to censor anyone or anything ahead of the UFC Freedom 250, an event that’s caused a lot of controversy and generated many opinions online.

“Nobody is banned,” White said. “Nobody’s music is banned. No media members have been banned. And the list goes on and on. … Literally nobody has been banned from this event. … There’s a lot of bullsh*t floating around out there. Nobody’s banned. Nothing’s banned.”