Did Mark Zuckerberg Get Knocked Out? Billionaire Appears to Be Embarrassed of the Report
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an interesting entry into mixed martial arts fighting by reportedly getting knocked out in his first official match — a claim which Zuckerberg has denied.
This was Zuckerberg’s first time competing professionally, and it followed his recent push into such extreme fitness activities.
The New York Times detailed the May 6 Brazilian jiu-jitsu match in a Friday report.
The event took place in Woodside, California, with Zuckerberg facing off against against an opponent and passing out, the Times reported.
Jose Costa da Silva, who served as a referee for one of Zuckerberg’s matches, told the Times that after an opponent placed Zuckerberg in a chokehold, Zuckerberg appeared to have gone unconscious and began to make a snoring noise.
Representatives for Zuckerberg quickly denied the report, however.
“At no point during the competition was Mark knocked unconscious. That never happened,” a Meta representative said in a statement to Business Insider.
UPDATE: After publishing our story, I heard from both Mark Zuckerberg and his Brazilian jujitsu coach. They both insisted that Mr. Zuckerberg had *not* lost consciousness, and the coach said that the referee had mistaken his effortful grunting for snores: https://t.co/xicWVdSfke
— Joe Bernstein (@Bernstein) June 3, 2023
In any case, Zuckerberg apparently performed well enough to win two medals.
Costa da Silva complimented Zuckerberg’s performance, telling the Times that he was a “good sport” who was “enjoying the moment.”
His alleged knockout naturally drew mockery from many online.
“DEAR NY TIMES…..I WAS NOT SNORING! I WAS GRUNTING WITH MY EYES CLOSED AND MY BODY LIMP!”
-THE ZUCK https://t.co/vcKSvUEZLr pic.twitter.com/hi4r3HatEv
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 3, 2023
Still, others defended Zuckerberg by pointing out that he didn’t do too bad for a beginner and was tough enough not to tap out.
Everyone making fun of him has never even has the courage to step on the mats
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) June 3, 2023
It’s unclear when Zuckerberg’s interest in MMA fighting first began, but he said during an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” last year that he started training for the sport during the pandemic.
“The crazy thing is it really is the best sport,” Zuckerberg told Rogan at the time, according to the Times, adding: “There’s something that’s just so primal about it.”
This isn’t the first time Zuckerberg has participated in sports-related events, as noted by the Times, who described him as an “avid runner” who has been “devoted to physical activity for much of his life.”
Just recently, Zuckerberg revealed he took part in the Murph Challenge — a Memorial Day fitness challenge that consists of wearing a 20-pound vest while completing a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and finally another one-mile run.
The Murph Challenge was created to honor the life of Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was a SEAL team member who died in Afghanistan in 2005 during Operation Red Wings.
Zuckerberg said in the Facebook post that he completed the challenge in just 40 minutes, but some have questioned if his timing was accurate, since that would place him only minutes away from the current world record time of 34 minutes and 38 seconds.
Mark Zuckerberg says he completed the Murph workout today in 39:58.
• 1-mile run
• 100 pull-ups
• 200 push-ups
• 300 squats
• 1-mile run…all with a 20lb weighted vest.
That time would have placed him in the top 5 at the 2015 Crossfit games.
Super impressive 🤯 pic.twitter.com/N95fXF1WUP
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 29, 2023
Asked about this, Zuckerberg clarified that while most elite athletes complete the challenge without any breaks, he “did a partitioned Murph with a bunch of sets with smaller reps of each alternating.”
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