Zac Brown appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to talk about his upcoming appearance at the UFC Freedom 250 event.
On June 4th, UFC announced that the Zac Brown Band would be performing twice during the UFC Freedom 250 event, which will be taking place at the White House.
Not only will they perform a concert prior during the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest, but they will also be singing the national anthem on Sunday, June 14 before the fights.
UFC is also collaborating with the band to release official merchandise for the event.
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Zac Brown Band Received Backlash For Their Involvement In The Event
Following the announcement, Zac Brown Band received a heavy amount of backlash on social media with many fans saying they will be boycotting the band, which includes listening to their music, going to shows, and more.
See some of the former fan comments below.
“Been to over 10 shows, seen them live at Fenway Park twice, and listened to countless hours of their music. One single post and I’m out.”
“OMG—I am heartbroken. All these beautiful songs about values and caring for others. He WAS my favorite. I’m out too.”
“I can’t even count the number of shows that I’ve been to or the number of people that I’ve turned into fans. This one hurts. I’m going to need a new soundtrack for summer.”
“Are you kidding me? This breaks my heart.”
“Lost another fan with this choice. Unfollowing and blocking all ZBB music on @qobuz. Disappointing, I’ve seen em several times and had planned to see them many more.”
“losing a lot of fans with this mistake”
“Immediately add to the ‘do not play’ list on Spotify”
“Was supposed to be going to the show at London Olimpia. Not anymore. Sad news”
“Now that Zac is MAGA, his songs have lost all meaning.”
“Say it aint so!! Beyond disappointed that ZBB would align themselves with this”
“wtf? Selling my tickets for July. Sad you also tarnish the name of @carolinejones with this choice. I was really looking forward to seeing your Jimmy tribute live, but he would be so disappointed.”
Zac Brown Defends Decision To Sing At UFC Freedom 250
Zac Brown appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday (June 10) and defended his reasoning behind agreeing to sing at the historic event.
McAfee asked the Grammy winner, “Let’s talk about this weekend. UFC Freedom 250 event. When you get asked about that, what are your initial thoughts and obviously, if it’s at the White House, there’s gonna be some sort of political potential conversation surrounding it. What are you hoping of the event, and what are you most excited about to get out there? ”
Brown responded, “I’m there for the troops, man. I’m there to honor America. This is patriotism, not politics for me. F*ck all the division. I don’t believe in that. I love this country, I love all the people that have sacrificed so I can live my American dream and that everyone who lives here gets the chance to do that if they work hard, make the right decisions.”
The singer continued, “It doesn’t have a place in politics for me. There are gonna be 8,000 active duty service members that are gonna be there, I’m a massive UFC fan…it’s my favorite sport. I’m honored that Dana [White, UFC CEO] has given me the opportunity to do this.”
Brown also said that they will be singing the national anthem with the Marine Band, which he says is “an honor.”
He also revealed that he and his band will be playing after the weigh ins on Saturday, June 13.
Historically, Zac Brown Band has been praised for their harmonious rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Most recently, they performed the national anthem at the MLB All Star Game in 2025 and had rave reviews.
Tune in to Paramount+ on Sunday at 8PM ET to watch the fight and Zac Brown Band’s rendition of the national anthem with the Marine Band.
Watch Zac Brown’s response below.
