Administration officials and advisers bill the UFC match as sports diplomacy — giving other countries a counter to the Trump-era chaos playing out on the world stage and even sometimes during Oval Office meetings with other heads of state.

During the Thursday signing of an agreement for future government cooperation with the UFC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted sports as “one of those few things” with universal appeal.

The State agreement also provides a potential business opportunity for UFC, whose founder Dana White is a longtime personal friend of Trump’s, by tapping the government to put together youth clinics and mentorship programs within the company. Trump holds a direct financial investment in TKO Group Holdings, the UFC’s parent company.

Dillon said the Thursday pact will also allow the administration to send UFC athletes, coaches, and executives overseas as unofficial sports ambassadors. That includes the ability to host watch parties at embassies and other US spaces.

It’s not the only such deal in the works. State signed an agreement earlier this year with the NFL, which will hold its first regular-season game in Australia this fall, and more public-private partnerships could follow.

“The United States, we are open for business. We are open to partnering with other sports, with other major leagues, whenever it makes sense,” Dillon said.

She told Semafor that the UFC fight is “a great way” to increase outreach to a younger demographic globally that the US has at times struggled to effectively target.

The UFC match also casts an international spotlight on Trump’s remaking of the physical White House. During his second term, he’s paved over the Rose Garden and turned it into a supper club to host prominent Republicans; added gold accents to the Oval Office and installed a “Presidential Walk of Fame”; and, most famously, demolished the East Wing to build a ballroom that’s still caught up in a court battle.

Outside the White House grounds, he’s spent $14.2 million to renovate the Reflecting Pool — a much higher cost than initially projected — and repaired multiple fountains in DC, redirecting upwards of $67 million in National Park fees to cover projects.

“This entire presidency from 2016 has been a presidency of doing things in a very non-traditional way,” the White House official said. “This is just the next iteration.”

And Trump’s hosting of the Sunday match doesn’t just reflect his fixation on buildings. He’s also a longtime sports fan who’s appeared at multiple major events as president, including the US Open tennis championships, the Ryder Cup, the Super Bowl, and most recently Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

In addition to the UFC fight and August’s scheduled Grand Prix through downtown DC, the US is hosting the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Trump is scheduled to help present the trophy to the World Cup winner, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who presented him with a “peace prize” last year after he lobbied unsuccessfully to win a Nobel.