With the UFC White House event just around the corner, one champion has had his say on the whole situation.

The UFC brings the Octagon to the South Lawn of the White House on the 14th of June, with a stacked card including Ilia Topuria returning to face interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, and Sean O’Malley, Derrick Lewis, and Alex Pereira all in actions as well, including the latter’s heavyweight debut.

One fighter not involved, however, is Sean Strickland, the only current male American UFC champion, who has been told to stay away from the White House event due to his criticism of President Donald Trump.

Sean Strickland Banned From White House For UFC Freedom 250

The middleweight champion has previously been a vocal supporter of Trump. However, he has openly condemned his handling of the Iran war.

On top of this, Strickland has spoken out about President Trump’s association with Jeffrey Epstein as well as his dealings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Strickland has said that he has been informed by the bosses at UFC to not attend the event, saying: “I made fun of Israel and Epstein. The only male American champ banned at the White House.

Sean Strickland Breaks Silence on White House Ban

The 35-year-old fighter posted a video on X in which he made these claims. He went on to say he still plans to go to the event: “I already bought my plane ticket. I’m gonna bring the belt, get a big f****** bullhorn, and we’re gonna go right up to the gates.

The California native has acknowledged that it may not have been the President himself who banned him from UFC White House. He posted on X after the video: “I highly doubt Trump is sitting there saying, ‘Don’t clear Sean.’ I’m sure he knows nothing about me being blacklisted but regardless, it was done.”

Whether the UFC veteran has actually been banned remains to be seen, but the whole situation feels like a WWE storyline. Especially with his threats to turn up at the gates wearing bullhorns.

It wouldn’t be a huge shock if Dana White and co. did in fact ban Strickland. The middleweight champion is a known loose cannon, and with so many issues to address in order for the UFC Freedom 250 to go off without a hitch, it may well be in their best interests to tell him to stay away.

Manchester City have released a strong statement after Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme claimed that he will sign Erling Haaland this summer if he’s elected.

Riquelme is going head-to-head with long-serving president Florentino Perez, and has made some outrageous promises if he is to win that battle this Sunday. Not only has he told fans that Haaland will be coming to the Bernabeu, but his Man City teammate Rodri, too.

Perez hasn’t been contested in his role since all the way back in 2004, but his opponent is pulling out all the stops to try and win the election. Riquelme has even stated that Jose Mourinho won’t be his manager, as he has another candidate in mind.

Manchester City Respond to Erling Haaland Claim

With Pep Guardiola now gone, speculation around Man City’s star players has ramped up in recent weeks. Riquelme claimed that a release clause was active in Haaland’s contract, and that the player ‘wants to join Real Madrid’.

“Haaland has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid,” he told a Spanish TV channel. However, that claim has been refuted by the Etihad-based club, who now appear to be considering their options legally. A club statement read:

The Citizens’ complaint appears to come from the fact that the host of the show, Pablo Matos, displayed a Real Madrid shirt with the Norwegian’s name on the back of it. They have opted to take a strong stance in response.

Haaland’s Father Speaks Out on Real Madrid Links

Fabrizio Romano posted a statement from both Haaland’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, and his father. Alf-Inge Haaland said: “All very entertaining but NOT true. We wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections.”

It appears extremely unlikely that the Premier League Golden Boot winner will be going anywhere soon. The likes of Bernardo Silva and John Stones have already left Man City along with Guardiola. Haaland will be one of the leaders in the dressing room, looking to put an end to a two-year title drought.

He’d also face stiff competition in Madrid from Kylian Mbappe. Working out a way to play both forwards and Vinicius Junior would be an extremely difficult task. But by City’s account, one we won’t be seeing anytime soon.

Newcastle United are eyeing a surprise move to sign Man Utd star Marcus Rashford this summer as a replacement for Anthony Gordon, according to iNews.

The Magpies are planning a major squad rebuild this summer after a poor campaign in the Premier League saw them finish 12th, missing out on European football entirely, and now forced to sell players to raise funds.

Gordon was the first to move on, joining Barcelona in a £70m deal, and now Eddie Howe is scouring the market to find a replacement and is looking at a familiar face.

Newcastle Eyeing Rashford Move

Rashford, who has been described as ‘frightening’ by Ollie Watkins, spent last season at Barcelona on loan and enjoyed a fine campaign, scoring 14 goals and registering 11 assists in all competitions as they won the Spanish league title.

But while the England star had an option in his deal to make it permanent, they are yet to trigger it, and have instead prioritisted deals for other forwards, with Gordon already arriving and a bid made for Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez.

That has sparked major question marks over Rashford’s future, and Newcastle are ready to make a move to bring him to St James’ Park in an ironic twist.

Man Utd are desperate to get his £325,000-a-week wages off their books, and despite Newcastle having a different transfer policy, it’s understood that they could look to bring the 28-year-old in as a direct replacement for Gordon.

A season-long loan move away has not been ruled out, with no offers on the table, although the Red Devils are expected to push for a permanent move instead.

Rashford to Newcastle Would Be Interesting Deal

Newcastle have made a habit of signing younger players who are ready to step up and explode at a higher level, while having room to improve. They did it with Gordon, Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, and more in recent years.

But a deal for a player like Rashford, who has incredible experience at the highest level and is still performing to a very high standard, isn’t one that comes around every day, and the Magpies would be crazy not to consider it at least.

Whether he’s open to it or not is yet to be known, but Howe would love his direct running, finishing and skill set as part of his squad, and this is one to watch as the summer goes on.