Prominent MAGA figures expressed outrage Sunday night after Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Sean Strickland – an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump for his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein – was escorted out of the UFC White House event by U.S. Marshalls.
The current UFC Middleweight Champion, Strickland previously claimed he was banned from participating in the White House event for making “fun of Israel and Epstein,” and for claiming “Trump is owned by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu].” He doubled down on his criticisms of Trump after learning of the ban by calling Trump a “f------ pedophile.”
And yet, despite the ban, Strickland attended the event but was soon escorted out by law enforcement “due to concerns for [his] safety,” the United States Park Police Public Information Office said in a statement, according to ESPN.
Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia expressed outrage at the news, and argued that Strickland’s removal from the event could even hurt Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.
“This is exactly how you lose younger male voters, actually a lot more than that demographic,” Greene wrote Sunday night in a social media post on X to her more than 1.7 million followers. “Send in police to haul off an actual American UFC Champion because he used his 1st Amendment and criticized Israel.”
Ian Wendt, a prominent MAGA influencer, podcaster and founder of the “Patriot Gear” online apparel shop, called Strickland’s removal “wild,” and came to a dark conclusion about what he believed it represented.
“Sean Strickland, the Only American UFC Champion shows up to the 250th Celebration fight night for America and is arrested and escorted out,” Wendt wrote Sunday night in a social media post on X.
“All because he criticized the administration, the government and the obvious corruption when it comes to Israel’s influence in both. Wild. Let that sink in for a minute. America is compromised.”
Strickland himself responded to the outrage from MAGA figures, issuing thanks to a supposed fan that helped him, briefly, gain entrance to the White House event.
“To the fan that snuck me in.. You're a f------ legend and a true [American],” Strickland wrote in a social media post on X to his more than 1 million followers. “You did what the UFC wouldn't.”
And this is exactly how you lose younger male voters, actually a lot more than that demographic.
Send in police to haul off an actual American UFC Champion because he used his 1st amendment and criticized Israel. https://t.co/7zq4KAIIuZ
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) June 15, 2026