Sean Strickland recently found himself in a whirlwind of chaos after ranting about U.S. President Donald Trump and the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event on June 14. The UFC middleweight champion’s tirade came after he revealed that he’s been banned from attending the card over his views on the Trump administration and Israel. However, Strickland shocked everyone further by declaring on social media that, regardless of the ban, he will be travelling to Washington for a “peaceful protest” outside the White House gates with a “bullhorn” during the event. Since then, concerns have been mounting about how it will go with the added security measures in place.

Hearing about Strickland’s planned protest, former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub feels it’s a not a good idea.

“I just feel like it’s a bad idea, dude,” Schaub said on the Thiccc Boy podcast. “Even I like Sean and some of his opinions, I don’t always voice them on here, I agree with a lot of s–t he says, right? I don’t want to get into it, but there’s so much chaos that can be going on. It’s like Strickland is probably not the type of guy who’s not going to have security too. It’s such a bad idea to be around that event and not be part of it, dude. Like, why put yourself in that situation, man? I don’t get it. And then, like, keep going there and shouting to Trump’s (people). What are you doing? Like it’s going to do anything. It’s just creating chaos you don’t need.”

The heavyweight veteran definitely raised a valid concern here. If Strickland actually attempts a protest outside the White House while the event is underway, he would likely draw the attention of the venue’s strict security. As such, the 43-year-old believes the 185-pound champ could potentially get arrested if he actually attempts to follow through on his plan.

“Now, he’s going to livestream it with Nina there and the whole KICK thing, and you’re making money. Get your bag, bud. But I guess there are easier ways to make money,” Schaub suggested. “For Strickland, I get it, dude. I would be willing to bet he gets a call like, ‘Buddy, don’t do that. We’re already dealing with a lot. We can’t allocate extra security for you. Can you please not do this?’ 

“Do a livestream at home and make fun of the card. Don’t go there in person. It ain’t going to go how you think. In the grand scheme of things, the UFC ain’t s–t compared to the White House and the Secret Service. They ain’t going to entertain this, buddy. He’ll probably get arrested, which probably, for Sean, builds his brand even bigger. I guess if that’s the move. I guess it’s a wild-boy thing to get arrested at the White House. I just don’t… It doesn’t make sense, man.”

While the concern is genuine and the warning legitimate, the likelihood of that happening is very low, but not zero. According to a TMZ report, the Department of Homeland Security has designated the UFC Freedom 250 event a Level 1 Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR).

For those unaware, this is the highest security classification, placing the event on par with the Super Bowl and requiring extensive federal inter-agency support. As a result, security personnel could be intolerant of any disruption outside or inside the gates that could potentially interfere with the event. As such, Sean Strickland or anyone else could find themselves in a world of trouble if they actually decide to interfere or create a disturbance during the show.

Now, Strickland isn’t the only person who has reportedly been barred from attending the show. Alongside him, the UFC has apparently restricted another well-known superstar, and he has finally opened up about the entire situation.  

Bryce Mitchell firmly believes UFC will not let him enter the White House event

Aside from Sean Strickland, UFC star Bryce Mitchell has also been very critical of the White House event. The Arkansas-based fighter, who’s all set to face Santiago Luna at UFC Vegas 118 this weekend, labeled the Trump administration “corrupted” and criticized the June 14 spectacle. In fact, Mitchell supported the middleweight champ on his stance against the event.

The 31-year-old understands that he’ll probably not be welcome at the event, and he realizes that his past comments also played a big factor in the promotion barring him from the event.

“I’m definitely not gonna be able to go… They’re never gonna let me in there,” Mitchell said on Sneako’s stream, reposted by ChampRDS on X. “You know, they took one thing I said out of context and then told the world that I’m the evil guy, I’m the bad guy, I’m not an American.”

Here, Bryce Mitchell referred to his infamous ‘Adolf Hitler’ comments that drew a surge of backlash against him. His statement also drew the ire of UFC CEO Dana White, who called him “dumb” for his comments. With all that history, the promotion understandably would not want him there.

With UFC fighters like Sean Strickland and Bryce Mitchell being completely against the UFC White House card, the promotion would definitely be having talks with its fighters to prevent them from doing anything out of line. However, it remains to be seen whether Strickland ends up holding a protest at the event.