Zac Brown completely shut down all of the haters and political storylines ahead of his participation in the UFC Freedom 250 event. In case you haven’t heard, the United States of America is officially turning 250 years old next month. The 4th of July is always special, but this year’s edition will especially be so. President Trump has made an effort to make the celebration stretch throughout the entire year (that hasn’t gone exactly as planned), which is why Freedom 250 has had events sprinkled throughout since July of last year. The year-long celebration will culminate with a massive fair on the ground of the National Mall in Washington D.C., which is set to feature exhibits from all 50 states. Oh, and the iconic White House is partnering with the UFC to host a fight night on the lawn in just a couple of days (June 14 to be exact). Because nothing screams America more than having some people fight in the yard outside of a house. President Trump is close friends with UFC CEO Dana White, and often attends UFC fights in person. So the pairing wasn’t surprising by any means. That being said, the location of the UFC event – the South Lawn of the White House – marks the first time that a sporting event has ever been held at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was announced a couple of months ago that country music star Zac Brown had been tapped to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” ahead of the event. As you might imagine, Brown has been met with some backlash because of that, since in this day and age, anything that takes place around the presidency is considered as taking a political stance. During a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, the “Chicken Fried” singer took aim at those who are criticizing him for performing the anthem with the Marine Band prior to the UFC event. Brown insisted that he’s there to support the troops, and showcase his love for America… and that he’s not taking a stand one way or the other politically: “Man, I’m there for the troops. I’m there to honor America. This is patriotism, not politics for me. F*** all the division. I don’t believe in that. 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… It doesn’t have a place in politics for me. There’s gonna be like 8,000 active servicemen that are going to be there. I’m a massive UFC fan. I’ve watched every single UFC probably multiple times. It’s my favorite sport, and I’m honored that Dana is giving me the opportunity to do this.” "I'm at Freedom 250 to honor America.. I love this country and I'm honored to get to do the national anthem with the Marine Band"@zacbrownband #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/2CfvkDe8fk — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 10, 2026 Zac Brown also touched on how he couldn’t pass up being a part of history, since the UFC fight is the first ever sporting event at the White House. I’ve got to say… it’s refreshing to hear the lead man of the Zac Brown Band stand up and say he’s going to stick with his commitment because he loves America and the troops. Granted, the line between patriotism and politics has blurred some over the past decade or so, but the country star is planting his flag in the ground and proudly standing by it as he prepares to fulfill his anthem-singing role at UFC Freedom 250.The post “This Is Patriotism, Not Politics”: Zac Brown Says He’s Not Backing Down From Singing The National Anthem At UFC Freedom 250 Event first appeared on Whiskey Riff.