Zac Brown, frontman of the Zac Brown Band, will sing the national anthem ahead of UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn on June 14 and will play after the weigh-ins on Saturday, he said, as the event streams live on Paramount+.
Brown called the show historic, describing the card as “the first sporting event that’s on the lawn of the White House.” He told listeners he was there for the troops and for the moment: “Man, I’m there for the troops, man. I’m there to honor America.” Brown also said 8,000 active service members will be in attendance and named two headline fights on the June 14 card — Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane.
The singer framed the booking as a personal and apolitical decision he accepted at the invitation of UFC president Dana White. “I’m honored that Dana [White’s] given me the opportunity to do this,” Brown said, adding that he’s a fan of the promotion: he called the UFC his favorite sport.
Brown defended the appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, insisting the choice had “everything to do with patriotism and nothing to do with politics.” “This is patriotism, not politics for me. I mean, fuck all the division. I don’t believe in that,” he said, and went on to explain why the U.S. and those who sacrificed for it matter to him: “I love this country. I love all the people that have sacrificed so that I can live my American dream and that everyone that lives here gets a chance to do that if they work hard and make the right decisions. So it doesn’t have a place in politics for me.”
That defense arrives after Brown has faced backlash online for associating himself with the former president’s White House. The friction between critics who view the appearance as political and Brown’s insistence that it’s an act of support for service members is the clearest tension around the booking.
Practically, Brown laid out when and how he will appear: “We’re going to be playing after the weigh-ins for the concert on Saturday and then getting to do the anthem for this with the Marine Band is going to be sick,” he said. He also told listeners he was excited for the weekend: “I’m so excited for this weekend.” The card will stream live on Paramount+, putting the lawn ceremony and the undercard fights in front of a national audience as well as the service members Brown cited.
What to watch on June 14 is straightforward. Brown will sing the national anthem with the Marine Band before the scheduled fights, then perform after the weigh-ins; the event’s two named main attractions are the Topuria–Gaethje and Pereira–Gane bouts. Brown has emphasized the military audience and the historic setting; whether the total crowd beyond the 8,000 active service members he cited will match expectations is a remaining question that will be answered when the event runs on June 14.
