Tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg became interested in martial arts and MMA and entered the ring
Creator of the social network Facebook (social network is banned in Russia; belongs to the Meta company, which is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) Mark Zuckerberg has been called a technological genius, billionaire, person of the year, and even a reptilian. Now, the unassuming nerd in a gray T-shirt and jeans is being referred to as a “damn beast,” and The New York Times is divided watching how the billionaire fights aggression with the help of war games and martial arts.
From Geek to Rambo
Zuckerberg, 39, admits that sport has always been a part of his life. True, if earlier was fond of calm and peaceful activities like jogging with a dog, fencing and surfing (during which he was somehow captured with a thick layer of sunscreen on his face), in recent years his sports preferences have become pronounced brutality and emphasized masculinity. In a podcast by US MMA commentator Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg said that he took up the martial arts technique of jiu-jitsu and considers it “the best sport.”
The question is not how I came to this, but why I did not know about it before. From the first workout, after about five minutes, I thought, “What have I been doing all my life?”
The billionaire’s transformation appears to have begun during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the same Joe Rogan podcast, he toldthat he was introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu by friends with whom he was surfing. At the same time, the immersion of the digital geek into the world of martial arts began.
Mark Zuckerberg’s activity in MMA began rapidly. He immediately made stellar connections: Conor McGregor commented on his posts, UFC President Dana White met with him, he was praised by UFC professional fighter Hayem Wu. Very quickly, the billionaire turned from a fan into a participant in tournaments. At first, he allegedly performed secretly – under the pseudonym Mark Elliot, and in May for the first time entered the amateur championship ring under his own name and immediately took two medals – gold and silver.
Frame: @zuck video
What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Brazilian jiu-jitsu originated at the beginning of the 20th century from judo, and then it was formed under the influence of Japanese jiu-jitsu schools. Fighters of this style use a variety of painful and suffocating techniques. The philosophy of martial art is based on the idea of transforming weaknesses into strengths. According to the principles of jiu-jitsu, even a person with a poorly developed physique can defend himself against a stronger opponent and defeat him.
One of the strongest
Jiu-jitsu is not Zuckerberg’s only passion. Recently, the head of popular social networks with a fortune of $ 89.9 billion surprised subscribers with brutal pictures from an extreme workout. In a photo published on May 31, an emaciated businessman with sweat on his face and bulging biceps took a selfie in a body armor weighing about nine kilograms. The billionaire said that he passed the Murphy challenge, having completed 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 squats in this same body armor in less than 40 minutes, and then ran a kilometer.
1%
Murphy challenge participants, according to The Guardian, demonstrate the result like Mark Zuckerberg
Even Joe Rogan, with whom Zuckerberg recorded a podcast a year earlier, admired the sports training of the billionaire. “He’s a damn beast,” Rogan commented on the businessman’s martial arts abilities.
Sports career in a millionaire way
Despite Zuckerberg’s enviable accomplishments and praise from MMA influencers, social media users are taking the digital mogul’s reincarnation with a grain of salt. The most common question that they asked each other under pictures of Zuckerberg in a bulletproof vest: “What the hell is he getting ready for?”
Interest is fueled not so much by a new hobby of a businessman as approaches to its implementation. For example, in October last year, Zuckerberg bought all the tickets for the UFC Fight Night 211 tournament, which was held at the Apex Arena in Las Vegas. As a result, Mark and his wife Priscilla watched the fights from an empty hall, and fans and journalists had to be content with broadcasting the event from the screens.
Combat grunt
Equally memorable was Zuckerberg’s only performance as a jiu-jitsu fighter in May 2023. The referee of this match is Lucas Costa toldthat the participation of the world famous billionaire was not discussed in advance. The businessman appeared on the site, accompanied by six security guards and wearing spy camouflage: his face was hidden by a baseball cap, sunglasses and a protective medical mask.
I was impressed. He seemed like an ordinary guy. He looked into my eyes and shook my hand firmly. Another big surprise was that he fights well
This fight eventually ended in an argument between Zuckerberg and Costa. It looked like the billionaire was outraged by the referee’s decision to stop the fight. Costa later explained that he was forced to stop the fight, as the businessman did not resist a choke hold and wheezed, which, according to the referee, indicated a loss of consciousness. At the same time, the judge argued that there was no conflict, but Zuckerberg demanded an explanation.
The version of the events that took place at the May tournament appeared in The New York Times on June 2, but a few hours later Mark Zuckerberg and his coach Dave Camarillo contacted the editors: they sent a letter in which they denied the words of the referee. Both claimed that the businessman did not lose consciousness and could continue the fight. According to their version, Costa confused Zuckerberg’s increased combat grunting with wheezing and because of this he made the wrong decision.
fashion sport
Mark Zuckerberg isn’t the only Silicon Valley celebrity who spends hours practicing jiu-jitsu. Fans of this sport, for example, are SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, as well as Palantir CEO Alex Karp. PayPal CEO Dan Shulman is into Krav Maga.
In addition, director Guy Ritchie has a black belt in jiu-jitsu; actors Jason Statham, Keanu Reeves, Margot Robbie and other famous people in Hollywood have been doing this type of martial arts for many years.
However, none of them attracted as much attention to their sporting achievements as did the modest Mark Zuckerberg. Users can only be surprised at the next records of a businessman who, it seems, decided by the age of 40 to become one of not only the richest, but also the most powerful nerds on the planet.
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