White rejects claims of political exclusion

Strickland, the UFC middleweight champion, claimed on Instagram that he had been excluded because of comments he made about former US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The only male American champ banned at the White House because I said Trump is owned by Benjamin Netanyahu. That is not public opinion, it is fact,” Strickland wrote.

According to Mirror Sport, White dismissed the allegation during a media scrum on Tuesday and said Strickland had previously made it clear that he did not want to attend the event.

“He made it very clear he didn’t want to be a part of this event and now apparently he’s banned,” White said. “Nobody is banned. Nobody’s music is banned. No media members have been banned. The list goes on and on.”

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A limited guest list at the White House

The UFC Freedom 250 event is being described as one of the most exclusive shows in the sport’s history, with attendance available by invitation only. The event is scheduled for Sunday night at the White House and is set to coincide with Trump’s birthday.

White said the restrictions were largely a matter of space, adding that the venue can accommodate only around 4,300 seated guests. As a result, many people connected to the sport will not be able to attend, regardless of their profile.

Tickets have not been made available to the public. Instead, invitations are understood to have been distributed through the UFC, the Trump administration and to active members of the military.

Topuria and Gaethje set to headline

The event is expected to be headlined by a lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The co-main event is set to feature Alex Pereira moving up to heavyweight to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant 265lb title.

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Strickland’s comments add another political subplot to an already unusual event. The outspoken champion has often drawn attention for his social media posts, but White insisted that his absence should not be interpreted as an official ban.

For now, the UFC president’s message is clear: Strickland may not be on the guest list, but White says he has not been barred from attending.

Sources: www.mirror.co.uk

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