Marco Rubio suggests UFC Freedom 250 will reach World Cup final territory in audience terms

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The ties between UFC and the US government have never been more visible than before UFC Freedom 250.

Dana White’s friendship with Donald Trump has long been part of the promotion’s political backdrop. That bond helped pave the way for Sunday’s White House card, with the UFC boss now preparing for an event unlike anything the company has staged before.

That connection went further on Thursday, when White and Marco Rubio signed a memorandum of understanding to form a public-private partnership focused on sports diplomacy. Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, then made a bold prediction about the scale of the card.

Marco Rubio thinks UFC Freedom 250 could reach one billion viewers

Rubio framed the event as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration, rather than just another UFC card. Speaking alongside White, he suggested the White House backdrop could give the promotion a global audience rarely seen in sport.

“The White House is the people’s house. It belongs to the people of the United States. The American 250 celebration belongs to the people of the United States. For them to be able to see this event with their White House in the background as part of our celebration as a country in our 250 years, I think is a gift to the American people,” he began by saying.

“This one will have people watching, probably over, what, a billion people all over the world. 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.”

That figure would place UFC Freedom 250 in rare company. The 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France reportedly drew around 1.5 billion viewers worldwide and holds the top spot in the most-watched sports events list.

Even not reaching that number would be extraordinary for UFC. Crossing one billion viewers would already push the White House card into a different bracket in the sports world.