00:02Bueno, listen, esto es un exciting...
00:04First of all, it will be an exciting weekend,
00:05but an exciting opportunity to sign this.
00:07It's totally logical for us to do it.
00:09I want to make a couple points.
00:10People may ask, well, why UFC?
00:11We had this deal with the NFL, too, but why UFC?
00:14So I have a couple reasons why that I think is very powerful.
00:16Here's the first.
00:18The first is America, and the ideal behind America is the impossible.
00:23Someone tells you, you can't do that, or that's never going to happen.
00:25The whole idea of America is audacious.
00:27The very idea of America that you could have a country
00:33founded on the principle that your rights come not from your government
00:36or from your leaders, your rights come from your creator,
00:40was an audacious idea.
00:41No one else believed that at the world at that time,
00:43and that's the foundation.
00:45But then beyond that, everything we've done since then as a nation,
00:47time and again, how can you achieve some of the things?
00:50You know, we're going to put a man on the moon.
00:52When President Kennedy announced that we were going to put a man on the moon
00:55and return him safely to the earth,
00:56no one thought that was possible, and we did it.
00:58We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do
01:01and no one else aspired to do.
01:04And at some level, that's what this whole company, what UFC has been.
01:08You see, mixed martial arts is not new.
01:10It's been around now for about 30 years, I would say, maybe 35,
01:13but there were no rules.
01:14There was no structure.
01:14I remember the early fights.
01:15I used to watch them back in the day,
01:17and you could get like a 170-pound Brazilian jiu-jitsu guy
01:22fighting a 250-pound heavyweight who was a striker.
01:25I was like, how did you put this?
01:26The rules weren't clarified.
01:28And Dana and the people around him had a vision,
01:30and that is to create a structure around this company,
01:33to give it rules, to define it by weight class,
01:36to structure the events,
01:37and it attracted some of the best athletes in the world.
01:39And what you've built now is this global company
01:41that not so long ago would have seemed impossible.
01:44Back in the day when boxing commissions,
01:46that's what they're called, their athletic commissions,
01:48were a little bit reluctant to give you permits
01:50to stage these fights or put on these events,
01:52or when no one knew what it was,
01:54you were able to plow through that.
01:55And today you have one of the most recognizable
01:57American sports brands on the planet.
02:00And in and of itself, I think it reflects so much
02:02the American spirit is reflected in this American company.
02:06Here's the second point.
02:07It truly is the United Nations of fighting.
02:11If you think about the number of countries
02:12that are represented,
02:13and I think that roster will continue to grow, Lawrence.
02:15I really do.
02:16I think the number of people and champions
02:18you're going to get from around the world
02:19will continue to be added.
02:20And I can tell you this is true,
02:22and I can tell you about your global reach,
02:24because the president,
02:25and I have another job
02:25and spend a lot of time at the White House,
02:27the number of foreign leaders
02:28that want to come to this is unbelievable.
02:30It's to the point where we may have a diplomatic crisis,
02:33because it's like, you know,
02:34we can't bring everybody.
02:36And so they follow,
02:38and some of them don't even have a fighter
02:40in the fight from their country.
02:41They just want to come
02:42because they are fans of the sport
02:43and they follow it.
02:44But to be honest with you,
02:46some of the countries
02:46that are represented in these fights,
02:49most Americans,
02:50because it's not their job to track this,
02:51have never heard of that country in their life.
02:53Have never heard about their country,
02:55have never heard about that person
02:56or where they came from
02:57until they saw a fighter from that nation
02:59step into the ring.
03:00And between that
03:02and the bios that sometimes come
03:03with the profiles leading up to the fight,
03:05it is also educating Americans
03:07about cultures, societies,
03:09all over the world.
03:10The third is the power of convening.
03:12You know, we have very few things
03:14left in our society,
03:15and I would say,
03:15in the world that convenes us all.
03:17We are so divided
03:17by so many different things.
03:19You know, we get our news
03:21from different places,
03:22we follow different accounts online,
03:24we do everything separate
03:25from one another.
03:26In this country,
03:27and I would say increasingly
03:27around the world,
03:28we are so polarized.
03:30There are only a handful of things
03:31that bring people together
03:32in one place at one time,
03:34united by their interest in one thing.
03:36We need more of those.
03:37We need more of those forms
03:39and those settings
03:39in which we can bring people together
03:41to enjoy something together
03:43and find something in common.
03:44And if you've been to UFC fights,
03:46and I've been to many,
03:47and you look into the crowd,
03:48I mean, the crowd is as diverse
03:49as you can imagine.
03:50And I'm not talking about
03:51ethnic background.
03:52I'm talking about economic background.
03:54I'm talking about social background.
03:56I'm talking about geographic.
03:57This is one of those few things
03:59we have left in our country,
04:00and I would say in the world,
04:01that brings so many people
04:02from so many different places,
04:04so many different backgrounds,
04:05and so many different points of view
04:07together for a few hours
04:09to enjoy one thing in common.
04:11And the bonding power of that
04:13is incredible.
04:14And it's something we want to share
04:15with the world,
04:15which is why making this
04:16door diplomacy
04:17such an important agreement
04:20we're going to sign today.
04:21The last point I would make is,
04:23it is my view,
04:24and I am very impressed
04:26by a man who's 6'9 or 6'10
04:28that can run like a gazelle
04:29and dunk a basketball.
04:31Although if you're 6'10,
04:31I mean, you know,
04:33the rim is only 10 feet tall,
04:34so you're more than halfway there,
04:36but I think NBA players
04:37are incredible athletes.
04:39I always say that
04:39there are plenty of people
04:41in the NBA that could play
04:42in the NFL,
04:42and I love the NFL,
04:43but I don't think there are
04:44very many people in the NFL
04:45that could play in the NBA.
04:47But it is my personal view,
04:48my personal view,
04:49that some of,
04:50if not the greatest fighters,
04:52the greatest athletes in the world
04:53are the men and women
04:55on your roster.
04:56Because it doesn't just involve
04:57endurance and strength,
04:58it involves physical courage,
05:00it involves the ability
05:01to fight through pain.
05:03In fact, we were,
05:04was it in Miami a few weeks ago?
05:06We were watching one of the fights,
05:07and I don't want to call anybody up,
05:08but I think the guy,
05:09did he tear his ACL in that second,
05:10the last fight?
05:12His knee was hurt.
05:13Like, he would not have made it
05:14to that second round.
05:15And he scored,
05:16in the last 30 seconds,
05:17a knockout.
05:18You think about the courage,
05:19like, if I tear my ACL,
05:20like, I'm done, right?
05:21Most people, like,
05:22you tear your ACL,
05:23or you blow out your knee,
05:24he blew out his knee.
05:25You're done.
05:26And this guy went
05:27another two and a half minutes
05:28with a blown out knee
05:29and scored a last second knockout.
05:32Because he probably doesn't even
05:33make it out of the corner
05:34in the second round,
05:34because, you know,
05:35he's in danger
05:35with a lame leg like that.
05:38Think about the courage
05:39that that takes.
05:40Think about how inspiring
05:41that is for the crowd
05:42to see something like that.
05:43It speaks to the human spirit.
05:45And you very rarely
05:45get to see that anymore
05:46in many of the sports.
05:48There's not a criticism
05:49in any of those sports,
05:50but it's a testament
05:51to this one.
05:51And why we're so excited,
05:53not just about Sunday night,
05:54but we're excited
05:55about what this brand means
05:56about America's ability
05:58to expand and reach out
05:59to different parts of the world.
06:01You will see these cards.
06:02You're hosting them
06:03in 17 or 18 different jurisdictions.
06:04That's going to grow,
06:06in my opinion.
06:07And as you grow,
06:07more countries
06:08that you go to and do this.
06:09But in the end,
06:10it will be an American company
06:11and an American brand
06:12that's bringing this sport,
06:14even though it may be
06:14their fighters,
06:15bringing this sport
06:16to those places.
06:17And that is the definition
06:18of American soft diplomatic power.
06:20And so we're excited
06:22to sign this today,
06:23and we're really excited
06:24about Sunday.
06:24We're never going to see
06:25anything like that again,
06:26guys, ever.
06:27I was there late last night.
06:29They were testing
06:30the pyrotechnics.
06:31I'm not going to give away
06:32anything other than to say
06:33they work.
06:33It was good.
06:35The Secret Service wasn't as excited
06:36by the explosions,
06:37but everybody else
06:38and what they built out there
06:39was phenomenal.
06:40We'll never see it again.
06:42Although the president's threatening
06:43to leave it permanently.
06:44You heard that, right?
06:45He's threatening to leave the general.
06:47I just don't know.
06:47Maybe we'll just host weekly fights
06:49between people and politics
06:52and settle our scores that way.
06:53But all kidding aside,
06:55Sunday is an unbelievable,
06:58historic,
06:58I think never to be repeated
07:00until next year,
07:01experience for the American people
07:04to be able to see a sport.
07:06This is where I want to close.
07:08And I made this point earlier.
07:09We were doing
07:09a little interview about it.
07:12The White House
07:13is the people's house.
07:14It belongs to the people
07:14of the United States.
07:15The American 250 celebration
07:17belongs to the people
07:18of the United States.
07:19And there are millions
07:20and millions of Americans
07:21from all walks of life
07:22that are not necessarily
07:23attuned to politics
07:24or the financial markets
07:25or anything else,
07:26but they love the sport.
07:27And every Saturday,
07:29we've got a big event
07:29once a month.
07:30They're tuning in
07:31and they're watching
07:31and they host a...
07:33For them to be able
07:34to see this event
07:34with their White House
07:36in the background
07:36as part of our celebration
07:38as a country
07:38in our 250 years,
07:40I think is a gift
07:41to the American people.
07:43That's what Sunday is about.
07:44It's a gift
07:45to the American people.
07:46They're going to see
07:46their White House
07:47in their capital
07:48on their nation's birthday
07:50celebrating
07:50with a historic event.
07:52We could have had a band
07:53and we have great bands.
07:54We could have done
07:55a Shakespeare in the Park production.
07:57There are a lot of things
07:57we could have done with it,
07:58but this one
07:59will have people watching
08:00probably over, what,
08:01a billion people
08:01all over the world.
08:02A billion people
08:03all over the world
08:04will be watching America
08:05celebrate its 250th birthday
08:07with the White House
08:08in the background
08:09and some of the best athletes
08:10in the world
08:10in that octagon.
08:12And we're happy
08:13to be a part of that
08:13and we're happy
08:14to be a part of all the things
08:15we're going to be working on
08:16together in the years to come.
08:17So thank you guys.
08:18Thank you guys for covering it.
08:19Thank you guys for coming.
08:22The State Department,
08:23a lot of people here
08:23work at the State Department.
08:24We have members
08:25of the Diplomatic Corps.
08:26They get invited
08:26to a lot of meetings,
08:27but not many like this one.
08:29So this is great.
08:30Thank you.
08:31All right.
08:39Thank you.
08:39Thank you.
08:44Thank you.
08:54Thank you.
08:57Thank you.
09:03Thank you.
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