With several fans and observers taking strong exception, what was supposed to be a firm handshake to advance a peculiar form of global diplomacy has instead sparked a wave of online criticism. That anger centers around U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio‘s recent comments that marked a new partnership with Dana White’s UFC.

With just a day left before the curtain lifts on the much-anticipated UFC Freedom 250 event, set to unfold on the Southern Lawn of the White House, the partnership between the government and private conglomerate opens a new chapter in the UFC’s history where it takes a new role advancing sports diplomacy. While Secretary Rubio marked the occasion, praising the UFC for its achievements, no one expected that he would compare it with some landmark events in the US and human history.

“How can you achieve some of the things? You know, we’re going to put a man on the moon. When President Kennedy announced that we were going to put a man on the moon and return him safely to the Earth, no one thought that was possible,” Rubio stated. “And we did it. We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do and no one else aspired to do. And at some level, that’s what this whole company, what UFC has been.”

For a company to have grown from the grassroots to the next level is something worth celebrating. But to compare that with an event that is not only enshrined in American history but also remains an achievement for the whole of humanity to be proud of – when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on Earth’s satellite on July 20, 1969 – appeared a stretch. Yet, Rubio was still not done.

“But this one (the White House card) 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,” he remarked later.

That prediction, however, quickly became another point of contention because one is left wondering how that’s possible given that a random search confirms the global viewership of Paramount+ that will broadcast the event currently stands at approximately 80 million.

The debate surrounding the UFC’s role in government-backed initiatives also extends beyond viewership projections alone. To set the context, the Trump administration already has a similar partnership with the NFL that was signed early this year.

However, to have reached this level where its work is set to expand across the globe, Rubio’s words clearly left UFC boss Dana White humbled as he reflected on how far the promotion has come since its humble beginning decades ago.

“Obviously, we come from very humble beginnings when we first bought this company 25 years ago,” White said. “And we believed at that time that this thing would work everywhere and would work all over the world.”

“I’ve always had this philosophy that, thank God, ended up being true. It doesn’t matter what color you are, what country you come from, and what language you speak; we’re all human beings, and fighting is in our DNA. We get it, and we like it.”

White’s acknowledgement comes amid growing reports that highlighted potential conflicts of interest stemming from President Trump’s ties to the UFC and its CEO Dana White, with the controversy centering primarily around the White House card. Those concerns have only added another layer to the debate surrounding the event.

That likely explains why fans were not willing to buy what Rubio stated.

Rubio’s remarks spark a wave of fan backlash

Questioning how the Secretary of State arrived at those viewership numbers, one fan fired, “And exactly how will they measure and prove that? Are they contracted with Nielsen or another legitimate audience measurement service? Of course they’re not.”

Setting aside those sentiments, one should note the UFC does employ multiple audience measurement services to monitor its events across linear television, streaming, and digital platforms. They include Neilson, Adobe Analytics, Emplifi, and IBM Watson.

Offering a measured take, another added. “Never going to happen lmao, especially with the World Cup happening at the same time.” That’s true. While the UFC may cater to the MMA aficionados, taking on the might of the “people’s sport” when the event is taking place across the North American continent is an altogether different ballgame.

However, some were not so considerate. One user wrote, “He can’t be serious. These people are insanely delusional.”

To a few, however, Rubio’s moon landing comparison sounded even more absurd. “Nut job! Comparing UFC on the WH lawn to going to the moon is INSANE! Using JFK’s iconic and inspiring speech in the same sentence as UFC is tacky,” wrote one.

“Audacity is definitely the right word. The audacity that you would compare sending people into space with cage fighting,” another added.

So the criticism, it appears, was never really about whether the UFC deserved recognition for its success. Competing against established players and achieving global success, a company certainly deserves appreciation.

What many fans took issue with was the comparison itself. Nothing is comparable to a milestone that belongs to all of humanity. Comparing the UFC to the moon landing is like comparing a championship boxing match to the invention of the internet. Both may be impressive in their own ways. But they are different in purpose, scale, and significance such that a direct comparison is not logically meaningful.