At UFC 216 on Saturday night, Everlast sang “America the Beautiful” to open the pay-per-view portion of the event but that wasn’t the original plan.
According to UFC President Dana White, the Grammy Award-winning artist was chosen to perform because originally desired performer Jason Aldean, as well as several other country musicians, turned down the opportunity.
"His image was more important then coming back to Vegas and playing for the people who are his fans and who got shot watching him play," White told TMZ.
On Oct. 1, a mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas left 59 dead and at least 527 injured.