Sean Strickland Flies to DC, Lands Leg Kick on a Fan and Admits to Requiring Help From Cops Outside UFC Freedom 250 Presser

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland comes to D.C. ahead of UFC Freedom 250 fight card on June 14 despite receiving no invitation.

Sean Strickland Flies to DC, Lands Leg Kick on a Fan and Admits to Requiring Help From Cops Outside UFC Freedom 250 Presser

Sean Strickland shows up near Lincoln Memorial ahead of UFC Freedom 250 (Image via MMA Mania/X)

UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Sean Strickland was not banned from the White House event. However, an invitation to attend the event was not extended to the UFC middleweight champion. The sequence of events certainly angered a portion of MMA fans.

Strickland’s intention was not political; he wanted to support his good friend, Alex Pereira, at UFC Freedom 250. As the fight week approached slowly, it became apparent that the White House would not invite Strickland due to his comments about the current administration.

As such, Strickland promised to come to Washington, D.C., during the fight week and interact with fans. This is exactly what the middleweight champion did as he came in time to attend the Lincoln Memorial press event.

On his Instagram Stories, the controversial American fighter revealed that he had landed in DC to alert his fans. Soon after, he arrived to join the fans and interacted with them. The interaction was so chaotic that no one could have seen it coming.

Surrounded by fans with phones, Sean Strickland landed a leg kick on a fan after getting asked for it. Soon, he hugged it out with the fan and proceeded to attempt a single-leg takedown on another fan.

The UFC middleweight champion soon tried to get out of that place, but didn’t immediately make his escape. He stood there to take selfies with the fans before realizing how many there were.

The fans who turned up near the Lincoln Memorial appear to have enjoyed their interaction with Strickland. Eventually, ‘Tarzan’ had to let the fans know that he had to go and started running to make his escape.

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Sean Strickland gets honest about interaction with fans outside Lincoln Memorial press event

Back during the 2024 US election, Sean Strickland supported Donald Trump and the Republican Party. ‘Tarzan’ also met the President on multiple occasions and held Trump in high regard at one point. However, the current administration’s involvement in the war in the Middle East has rubbed Strickland the wrong way.

Sean Strickland ahead of UFC Freedom 250
Sean Strickland ahead of UFC Freedom 250 (Image via X/CODE Sports)

Before the UFC Freedom 250 was announced, Strickland made it clear that he didn’t want to fight at the White House. However, he made it clear that he wanted to attend the event to support Alex Pereira after Pereira defeated Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.

Once he was not given the invitation, Strickland decided to come to DC anyway and interact with the fanbase. It almost became chaotic in the most unexpected way as the middleweight champion got the best reception possible. However, the police force had to do their job.

You guys, boys in blue just saved my life. We almost died. These cops came up to me and told me to take off my hoodie… so I take my hoodie off and they shined a flashlight in my face. All of a sudden the crowd forms and I just take off.

Sean Strickland said

Prominent UFC fighters like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Islam Makhachev may not attend the event at the White House. Due to the limited tickets, some UFC fighters are likely to show up at the Ellipse Park, where up to 85,000 fans will attend to watch the event.

With an appearance at the White House no longer possible, it remains to be seen if Strickland shows up at the Ellipse Park. If he does show up, some controversy is bound to go down.

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