Dana White Announces National Anthem Singer For UFC White House Show

By FIGHTSPORTS Apr 21, 2026 Last updated Apr 21, 2026

Many thought that Kid Rock would be the likely choice to perform the national anthem to kick off the UFC White House event, however, Dana White announced that Grammy-winning country music singer Zac Brown will sing “the Star-Spangled Banner” on June 14.

White confirmed that several names were in the mix, but Brown was the definitive choice. Beyond the solo performance, the Zac Brown Band is also scheduled to headline the Fan Fest on The Ellipse (the 52-acre park south of the White House) on June 13. White mentioned that this will the first time the national anthem will be performed at a UFC event in well over a decade.

“We don’t do the national anthem. One of the things that drives me crazy with boxing is they have to sing two national anthems and all this stuff before the fight starts. We’re an international business. We have people from everywhere.

We could end up having two national anthems that are not even from this country, plus the whole world is watching us. We’re in over a billion homes worldwide, so I don’t do it. This will be the first time in a very long time, since UFC double digits, that we’ve done the national anthem, and Zac Brown will be doing it,” White said

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