286 — The Visitor

Sean Strickland attended the White House's UFC event on Saturday by wearing a disguise and walking in without being invited. Security found him, mobbed him, and put him in a police van. This is what happened.

The event was a UFC card on the White House South Lawn, organized to celebrate the President's eightieth birthday and several championship fights. The South Lawn is not traditionally a UFC venue. This is the first time the White House has been a UFC venue, which means it is also the first time the White House has needed to determine who is and is not an authorized UFC fighter on its grounds.

The Secret Service has standard protocols for unauthorized visitors. These protocols were developed for people who are: foreign nationals, politically motivated, armed, or otherwise a threat to the President's safety. Sean Strickland is a former UFC Middleweight Champion. He is six feet tall, two hundred and eighty-five pounds, and professionally trained in causing physical harm to other trained fighters. The protocols were not specifically designed for him.

He wore a disguise. (The purpose of the disguise was to get in without being on the guest list. The guest list was for a UFC event. Sean Strickland is a UFC fighter. The specific gap in his credentials was not the discipline.

He was found. He was removed. He was placed in a police van.

The White House press office has not issued guidance on which UFC fighters are authorized to attend White House UFC events and which are not. There is presumably a list. Sean Strickland was presumably not on it. The criteria for the list are unknown.

The correct solution would be to ensure that all UFC fighters who wish to attend White House UFC events submit their credentials through the proper channels. The White House has a press contact for media inquiries. It is not clear this channel was available to Sean Strickland before Saturday. It is clear it did not matter.

He went anyway. This is also one of his known qualities.