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U.S. Department of State and UFC announce sports-diplomacy memorandum at White House event
Summary
U.S. Department of State and UFC leaders announced a memorandum of understanding to expand sports diplomacy, citing the sport’s global reach and convening power; UFC cited 43 events a year and fighters from more than 75 countries as reasons for the partnership.
Officials from the U.S. Department of State and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced a memorandum of understanding to expand sports diplomacy during a White House event, saying the partnership will use UFC events and athletes to reach international audiences.
An Agency official opened the event by arguing that "sports brings people together," and that the administration has been "expanding and doubling down on our sports diplomacy portfolio." The official introduced Lawrence Epstein, whom the transcript identifies as UFC chief operating officer.
"UFC is an incredibly global sport and an incredibly global organization," Epstein said, saying the promotion stages about 43 events a year, "about, 17 or 18 of those are in jurisdictions around the world," and that its roster includes fighters from "in excess of 75 countries." Epstein said that global footprint makes UFC a practical partner for public-diplomacy work with the U.S. government.
Dana White, identified in the transcript as UFC chief executive officer, described the sport’s universal appeal. "It doesn't matter what color you are, what country you come from, what language you speak, we're all human beings and fighting's in our DNA," White said, and thanked a named official, "secretary Rubio," for support.
A separate presenter at the event framed the agreement in broader civic terms, calling UFC "the United Nations of fighting" and listing multiple reasons for the partnership: the company’s global reach, its ability to educate Americans about other countries through fighter profiles, and the "convening power" of sporting events. The presenter also said the administration and UFC were "excited to sign this today" at the event.
The presenter made a numeric claim about the size of the global audience, saying the event would be seen by "1000000000 people all over the world." That figure is reported here as stated at the event and attributed to the speaker; it has not been independently verified in this article.
UFC executives and the government speakers described the MOU as part of a broader effort to use cultural and sporting ties to open informal channels for international engagement. Epstein and White said the partnership complements existing arrangements, noting a prior memorandum of understanding with the National Football League.
The announcement did not include a detailed public timeline of programs or funding tied to the MOU in the spoken remarks. Speakers emphasized outreach and audience reach rather than specific operational steps; the transcript records statements that the partners intended to sign the agreement at the event.
The event closed with thanks to members of the diplomatic corps and a statement that the partners expect to continue cooperative programming in the years ahead.
