Pro-Trump UFC Star Torches Administration Over War in Iran After He Was Snubbed for Fight at White House

Nathan Denette/AP

Pro-Trump UFC star Sean Strickland trashed the administration over the war in Iran in response him being snubbed from UFC’s upcoming White House event.

On Saturday, the company announced its fight card for UFC Freedom 250. The event, honoring the U.S.’s 250 birthday, will take place on the White House lawn on June 14. President Donald Trump first announced plans for the event last July.

Prior to the announcement of the card, there was a great deal of speculation about who would — and wouldn’t — be fighting at the White House. It was rumored that heavyweight Jon Jones, arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the company, would headline the event; but UFC president Dana White declared Jones was practically retired due to nagging injuries.

Some also considered Strickland a possibility because of his previous support of Trump. In recent months, however, Strickland has been critical of the administration and even claimed he had no interest in the White House card due to the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein situation.

On Sunday night, Strickland appeared to express disappointment over not being selected for Freedom 250. He also criticized the war in Iran, saying:

I would just like to thank israel and Trump for when we wake up tomorrow and see a big redline. Hope some of you aint trying to retire while iran has WMDs….. Or wait iraq? Who knows.

This is probably why me and the terrorist aren’t getting booked on the white house card haha.

Instead, the event will be headlined by Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria and American Justin Gaethje. Earlier in the night, Brazilian Alex Pereira will take on Ciryl Gane from France.

In the replies to Strickland’s initial tweet, he criticized the UFC for including foreign-born fighters in the event.

“Let a bunch of foreigners fight in the white house,” he said. “It’s oddly fitting for this country.”

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