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Did Sean Strickland get arrested? Why UFC champion was removed from Freedom 250

US MMA fighter Sean Strickland is escorted out of the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse by US Secret Service and other law enforcement ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Photo by Kevin Dietsch / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

The UFC Freedom 250 at the White House took place on Sunday evening but it wasn't without drama as middleweight champion Sean Strickland has claimed he was banned from the event.

Taking to social media, Strickland filmed himself as he walked through a fan festival at the event, he then ran into a ring that was set up on the grass as fans cheered him on, but he was soon removed by security.

"You guys I'm pretty sure I didn't break the law, but I might be going to jail," he said on his Instagram Story where he appeared to be in the back of a police van.

MMA fighter Sean Strickland is escorted out of the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse by U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

In a follow up story, the fighter had been released, as he told his 3 million followers, "I may have been charged with disorderly conduct. I don’t know what that is but it sounds cool.

“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.”

He later took to Instagram where he shared a snap of himself being escorted away by security, with the caption, "**NOT AMERICAN ENOUGH THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT. MMA FANS ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST."

Ahead of the event, Strickland had said he was banned from attending due to his criticisms of Donald Trump and the war in Iran.

To which, UFC president Dana White responded to Strickland's claims, “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," as reported by MMA Fighting.

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