Rubio: UFC Freedom 250 to draw one billion viewers worldwide

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expects one billion people worldwide to tune in when UFC Freedom 250 takes place on the White House South Lawn this Sunday.

Rubio made the claim Thursday while signing a memorandum of understanding with UFC chief Dana White at the State Department, officially linking the promotion with U.S. government sports diplomacy efforts, according to MMA Mania. The agreement will send active and former fighters abroad for training camps, clinics, and leadership programs under State Department oversight.

White House event compared to moon landing

The billion-viewer prediction goes well beyond White's recent estimate of Super Bowl-level ratings for the June 14 card, which marks America's 250th birthday. Rubio framed the unprecedented event in historic terms. "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," he said before signing the agreement. "We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do."

The secretary added that UFC embodies the same spirit. "At some level, that's what this whole company, what UFC has been," he said.

UFC Freedom 250 will feature featherweight champion Ilia Topuria against Justin Gaethje in the main event, with the Octagon set up outdoors against the White House backdrop. First bell is Sunday night.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — SoS: UFC Freedom 250 ratings to reach one billion people, compares White House event to moon landing – ‘No one thought that was possible’