Strickland hopes Netanyahu attends UFC White House event to face public shaming

Sean Strickland, the UFC middleweight champion, posted on social media on May 31 that he hopes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14, predicting the appearance would “set the record for the loudest public shaming.”

The post marks a notable shift in Strickland’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The 30-7 fighter previously drew criticism — including from fellow middleweights Khamzat Chimaev and Belal Muhammad — for comments widely seen as dismissive of Palestinian suffering. That dispute with Chimaev is said to have originated while the two were training together at Xtreme Couture.

In recent months, Strickland has repeatedly criticised Israel over what he describes as the bombing of civilians, a reversal that has generated its own controversy. Following his upset victory over Chimaev at UFC 328 last month, Strickland made a joke referencing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) during the post-fight broadcast. He subsequently became embroiled in an online dispute with journalist Ariel Helwani, which Strickland attributed to fallout from that AIPAC remark.

The UFC Freedom 250 card is scheduled to take place at the White House on June 14, billed as a landmark event in the promotion’s history. Strickland’s latest post adds a political dimension to the build-up, consistent with the fighter’s pattern of using his platform to weigh in on geopolitical issues — often in blunt and provocative terms.

Muhammad, a vocal supporter of Palestine who previously criticised Strickland’s earlier stance, has not publicly responded to the fighter’s more recent comments.