Dana White denies Sean Strickland banned from White House card

UFC CEO Dana White dismissed claims from middleweight champion Sean Strickland that he was barred from attending Sunday's White House card over his criticism of President Donald Trump.

Strickland took to social media earlier this week to declare himself "the only male American champ banned at the White House" after speaking out against Trump's relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the administration's handling of the Iran conflict. White called the assertion false during a Tuesday media scrum, per MMA Fighting.

White dismisses ban claims as 'bullshit'

"Everybody's banned apparently," White said. "Of course, Sean Strickland isn't. Sean Strickland is banned from humanity. We don't want him near any human beings anywhere. F*cking shows up at Power Slap, he starts fights. 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."

White said limited capacity drove the guest list, not politics. With only 4,300 seats available and most tickets allocated to Trump's invited guests, the UFC CEO characterized Sunday's event as one of the most exclusive in promotion history. The White House reportedly has 1,000 credentialed media members alone, and not all will gain access.

The UFC is handling all media credentials for the card, a departure from standard White House protocol. White also shot down rumors that featherweight Diego Lopes was forced to change his walkout music, insisting no songs or fighters were blocked from the event.

"There's a lot of bullshit floating around out there right now," White said. "Nobody is banned. Nothing is banned. I want as many people to be inside of this thing and experience it as possible."

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Dana White refutes Sean Strickland’s claim he’s banned from the UFC White House card: ‘Nobody is banned’