Sean Strickland’s appearance at the UFC White House pre-fight press conference took an unexpected turn after fans recognized the middleweight champion in the crowd.
Strickland, who previously believed he was barred from attending before Dana White clarified he was welcome, said he tried to stay unnoticed by keeping his hood up during the event.
Strickland says police exposed his identity
“I had my face covered, literally sitting there watching the press conference,”
“These cops come up to me and are like, ‘Hey, you gotta take off your hoodie.'”
He warned officers what could happen if fans realized who he was.
“Bro, I cannot take off my hoodie. If I take off my hoodie, we’re all f—ked.”
According to Strickland, officers insisted before shining a flashlight on his face.
“I take off my hoodie and he shines a flashlight in my face, and the crowd just loses it — and these cops take the f—k off!”
Sean leg kicks one lucky fan
Just before he took off running, Sean leg kicked a lucky fan on his request.
‘We almost died’
Videos from the scene showed Strickland being chased by an excited group of fans as he tried to leave the area.
“Guys, the boys in blue just saved my life,”
“We’re out there doing the right things, and we almost died.”