Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had been training in mixed martial arts, MMA, alongside professional fighters. His continued interest in the sport fueled speculation about a potential cage fight with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Zuckerberg’s commitment to MMA training shows a shift in his public persona and image. Here’s what unfolded.
MMA Mission: Impossible
In a video posted on Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg was seen training with Professional Nigerian-New Zealand MMA fighter Israel Adesanya and Australian MMA fighter Alexander Volkanovski.
This training video, which included various MMA activities, was set to the “Mission: Impossible” soundtrack. Zuckerberg’s interest in the sport has grown since he started training during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
According to his social media posts over the past year, Zuckerberg’s commitment to MMA training occurs three to four times a week. These posts have highlighted his achievements in his physical transformation, such as earning his blue belt in jiu-jitsu and participating in his first jiu-jitsu tournament.
A Zuckerberg vs. Musk Cage Fight?
Zuckerberg mentioned in a recent podcast that learning martial arts involved him getting “beaten up a lot.”
Tesla Inc’s CEO Elon Musk tweeted in June that there could be a potential MMA-style cage fight between himself and Zuckerberg.
Although Zuckerberg stated that Musk is not serious about an official fight, he continues to display his athletic side, as demonstrated in the Instagram post.
In August 2023, Musk accused Zuckerberg of avoiding their agreed-upon fight. Zuckerberg has since said “Elon isn’t serious” about an official fight after the Tesla CEO later switched the idea to that of a “noble” debate instead.
“This Guy Has Been a Nerd and a Sissy All of His Life”
The jiu-jitsu social media content comes after a shot of him performing a trick on his hydrofoil surfboard was revealed.
This was by far a much cooler image than the paparazzi snapshot of him with a sunscreen-covered face that had gone viral over two years ago.
One said, “Like Mike Tyson said, everyone has a plan until they get hit in the face! Zuckerberg believes just because he is training , that he has what it takes. This guy has been a nerd and a sissy all of his life, and has had it easy all his life, then all of a sudden, he is a fighter! Don’t think so!”
“Zuck Is Still Going to Great Lengths To Try To Show He’s Not Still a Nerd.”
The comments continued: “If Zuck actually stepped into the cage with someone that had bad intentions I would be more impressed. This sparring is just playing around. I have sparred with many people. Not the same as a real fight.”
Another joked, “The guy driving the barge is thinking “man, I wish I stayed in college””
One reader jabbed at Zuckerberg, saying, “Zuck is still going to great lengths to try to show he’s not still a nerd.”
“Another Billionaire Poser”
The knocks continued as someone wrote, “Another billionaire poser, what is it about these guys that makes them need to be seen as tough? As if the image somehow makes up for what is emotionally/physically lacking. Zuckerberg’s MMA skills, an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one, Trump’s whole fake persona, or Musk’s bizarre taunts against the cave rescuer, I just don’t get it.”
The post Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg – From Code to Cage – Is He Training for a Musk Showdown? first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / . The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Yahoo! Finance