'Beyond parody': Marco Rubio ridiculed over bizarre UFC remark

Secretary of State Marco Rubio invited massive online ridicule and criticism after he compared the first moon landing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Speaking at the State Department on Thursday, Rubio described the United States as a nation "founded on doing what no one else dared to do, and no one else aspired to do." "The whole idea of America is audacious," Rubio said before comparing the establishment of UFC to the moon landing under John F. Kennedy.

"When President Kennedy announced that we're going to put a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth. No one thought that was possible. But 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," Secretary Rubio said. "Dana (White) and the people around him had a vision, and that is to create a structure around this company. To give it rules, to define it by weight class, to structure the events. And it attracted some of the best athletes in the world. And what you've built now is this global company that not so long ago would've seemed impossible," he added, calling the MMA platform one of the most recognizable American sports brands on the planet. 

Secretary Rubio then went on to laud the upcoming UFC event at the White House, claiming that it would be watched by around a billion people. "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 said. 

However, his statements were picked up by several netizens, including prominent journalists like Mehdi Hassan. Sharing a clip of Rubio's statement, Hassan quipped, "Beyond Parody." Political strategist and commentator Maria Cardona called the statement "embarrassing." "Yes Marco, no one has tried to have a UFC fight on the ground da of the White House before, BECAUSE IT IS A NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT!! And for you to compare it w the moon landing is the pinnacle of cluelessness and cowtowing. SAD!" she wrote on X. CNN anchor Erin Burnett joked that she was "stunned" by Rubio's statement. 

Notably, Secretary Rubio and UFC CEO Dana White have cemented a public-private partnership between the mixed martial arts company and the U.S. government for the government's "sports diplomacy" programs. "UFC has become a global phenomenon by embracing values that resonate far beyond the Octagon: excellence, discipline, opportunity, and meritocracy. Proud to launch a new Sports Diplomacy partnership with @UFC," Rubio wrote on X.