Trump-supporting UFC star Sean Strickland says he will skip White House fight event slated for 2026
Strickland cites fan access and concerns about the guest list as the UFC plans a 5,000-seat White House spectacle on the South Lawn for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Sean Strickland, a UFC fighter who has publicly backed former President Donald Trump, has said he will not participate in a White House-hosted fighting event planned for next year. In a livestream with controversial streamer Adin Ross, Strickland described the idea of fighting in the White House as happening “in front of billionaires” and said he would consider attending only if fans could be included. He added, “So if there was some kind of inclusion for fans, it’d be more — but like, just to go hang out with the fucking Epstein list? I’m good, dog. I’m good, dude.”
The UFC is slated to stage the event on the South Lawn on June 14, 2026, as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration. UFC President and CEO Dana White, in an interview with Fox News last September, said seating for the event would be about 5,000 due to security concerns, a far smaller figure than Trump’s original estimate of as many as 25,000 spectators.
In recent years, Strickland has shown a complex posture toward Trump. In February, he criticized the president on foreign-policy questions via social media after Trump proposed a plan involving Gaza. In July, Strickland said he would vote for a Democratic candidate over a Republican backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, describing the choice as a “line in the sand.” He also urged Trump not to involve the United States in the Israel-Iran war in June. Earlier this month, he appeared to back Trump for an unconstitutional third term in a post on X.
While Strickland remains a high-profile Trump backer, the White House event underscores broader questions about access and optics for presidential-linked events and the security parameters of a spectacle tied to a national milestone. The 2026 gathering’s scaled-back plan reflects logistical realities that differ sharply from earlier, larger estimates and highlights how organizers balance ceremony with security in a high-profile, potentially polarizing moment in U.S. politics.
