Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, signed an agreement Thursday that will create a public‑private partnership to expand mixed martial arts globally and use the sport to boost U.S. diplomacy efforts.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to sign this. It’s totally logical for us to do it,” Rubio said, noting the government has a similar agreement with the National Football League.
Through that partnership, the NFL and the State Department have collaborated during international games to bring world leaders together and promote football internationally. During the 2026 Super Bowl, for example, the department and the NFL worked together to host over 100 events in more than 65 countries.
Rubio also suggested that the agreement could be a way to heal America’s divisive politics, saying that the UFC is one of the few things that still brings people together.
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“This is one of those few things we have left in our country, and I would say in the world, that brings so many people from so many different places, so many different backgrounds, and so many different points of view together for a few hours to enjoy one thing in common, and the bonding power of that is incredible. It’s something we want to share with the world,” Rubio said. “It’s such an important agreement we’re going to sign today.”
White shared a similar sentiment.
“It doesn’t matter what color you are, what country you come from, what language you speak, we’re all human beings, and fighting is in our DNA,” he said.
The memorandum of understanding is a formal, but not legally binding, agreement to help encourage diplomacy through the sport.
But Rubio joked the UFC upcoming event at the White House could already be causing diplomatic issues — because so many world leaders want to attend.
“It’s to the point where we may have a diplomatic crisis, because, you know, we can’t bring everybody,” Rubio said.
The UFC event is scheduled to take place on the White House South Lawn on Sunday, just in time for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, though it’s officially kicking off the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
“The MOU signing will mark a new public-private partnership to enhance sports diplomacy initiatives and collaborate on the global growth of mixed martial arts,” the State Department said in a press release Monday.
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