That’s right, the UFC’s own middleweight champion (and one of the few American champions to boot) says he’s arranging a protest during the UFC Freedom 250 card being held on U.S. president Donald Trump’s birthday.
Why? Because he’s against the war Trump started in Iran, and he blames Israel for dragging the United States into
it.
“Apparently, I’m not American enough to go to Freedom 250,” Strickland said in a series of social media posts. “But I’ve still got my ticket. BTW we’re still gonna go. I’ll bring a bullhorn.”
“You guys, I already bought my plane ticket. We’re f–king going,” he continued. “I’m gonna bring the belt, I’m gonna get a big f–king bull horn and we’re gonna go right up to the gates. So, if you guys are going to be there, let’s f–king go. Not in a threatening way, we’re gonna do a peaceful protest.”
The UFC clearly appreciates Strickland’s ability to whip up emotion amongst a large swathe of combat sports fans and casuals … or at least they do when that emotion can lead to more money. And they may be laughing all the way to the bank over Sean’s latest move. In today’s attention economy, we’re unsure how different announcing a protest outside the UFC White House event is to threatening to shoot your opponent leading up to UFC 328. In the end, both are just publicity for the card, if you believe the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
We do have to wonder how the Trump administration will feel about the UFC’s own champions piling onto “The Donald” as his birthday party approaches. But let’s be honest: Strickland is just one more grain of sand on the vast beach of discontent that is American political sentiment towards Trump these days. He won’t be the only one in D.C. that day protesting Trump.
At this point we have to wonder, given all the issues the Freedom 250 committee has been having with the event, if protesters don’t end up outnumbering fans in Washington on fight day.
