UFC Champion Strickland Escorted Out After Sneaking Into Washington Fan Fest

Sean Strickland was removed by security after sneaking into the UFC’s fan fest at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, hours before the UFC White House card was scheduled to begin. The middleweight champion entered a WWE ring set up at the event and drew cheers from nearby fans before being escorted off the premises.

“I may have been charged with disorderly conduct. I don’t know what that is but it sounds cool,” Strickland said on his Instagram Stories shortly afterwards. “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 remains unclear whether Strickland has been formally charged.

The gate-crash capped a turbulent build-up to the event for Strickland, who had publicly claimed he was banned from attending UFC White House due to controversial comments he made about Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. UFC president Dana White denied any ban was in place, stating that attendance was restricted by space and seating limitations. Strickland had appeared at the pre-fight press conference the previous day without incident.

Strickland is no stranger to controversy outside the cage. He launched his second reign as UFC middleweight champion with an upset victory over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 on 9 May, having first claimed the title with a shock win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.