Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is standing firmly behind Brandon Royval after the flyweight contender went viral for blasting the idea of fighting at the UFC’s planned White House event.
Royval, who returns at UFC Vegas 112 against Manel Kape next month, made headlines on the In The Arena MMA podcast when he shut down any possibility of competing at the historic 2026 White House card. While names like Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Kayla Harrison and Ilia Topuria have all shown interest, Royval went in the opposite direction, delivering an expletive-filled rant about performing in front of “billionaires and politicians,” comparing it to The Hunger Games.
The moment struck a nerve across the MMA community, and Strickland didn’t waste time applauding him.
In a pair of posts on X, Strickland signaled his support for Royval’s stance.
“It will just be the boys club and political elites but I hope I’m wrong,” Strickland wrote.
“I’d fight on it, but I get what he is saying. He’s 100 percent right.”
Even though Strickland has been vocal about his criticisms of President Donald Trump in recent months, he hasn’t ruled out stepping onto the White House lawn himself. In fact, he’s already campaigning for a matchup with top middleweight contender Anthony Hernandez.
Strickland hasn’t fought since his one-sided rematch loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 and is currently serving a suspension after a chaotic brawl at a Tuff-N-Uff event in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Royval is one strong win away from another flyweight title shot, just not at the White House.
With Trump confirming the massive June 14, 2026 date to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the UFC is gearing up for one of its most ambitious events ever. But for Royval, the message is clear: save the political spectacle for someone else.
Strickland may be open to fighting there, but he’s not pretending Royval is wrong — and that’s why his support resonated with fans just as loudly as the rant itself.
