Marco Rubio believes the UFC’s White House card will do Super Bowl numbers … and then some.
The United States Secretary of State signed a memorandum of understanding with UFC CEO Dana White today (Thurs., June 11, 2026) at the State Department, officially partnering the mixed martial arts promotion with the U.S. government for sports diplomacy initiatives around the world.
But, the real headline came before the ink even dried.
Rubio claimed that one billion people around the globe will watch UFC Freedom
250 this weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026), which takes place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration.
“A billion people all over the world will be watching America celebrate its 250th birthday with the White House in the background and some of the best athletes in the world in that octagon,” Rubio said.
Yeah, okay.
For context, the UFC head honcho recently said the promotion is expecting “Super Bowl-type numbers” for the one-of-one event, but Rubio took that prediction and launched it straight into outer space — literally.
“When President Kennedy announced that we were going to put a man on the moon and return them safely to the earth, no one thought that was possible, and we did it,” Rubio said before signing the agreement.
“We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do, and no one else aspired to do,” he continued. “And at some level, that’s what this whole company, what UFC has been.”
Is that a tease that UFC is headed to the moon next?
The agreement between the State Department and UFC is expected to use the promotion as a tool of U.S. diplomacy, sending current and former fighters overseas for clinics, leadership programs, training sessions and other initiatives.
Of course, most fight fans will be focused on what happens inside the cage this weekend, when Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje collide in the historic main event.
T-minus three days!
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