Mark Zuckerberg, 39, Is Hospitalized While Training For a Full-Contact MMA Fight

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Zuckerberg in hospital following ACL injuryPhoto bythe author (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, 39, recently suffered a serious injury while reportedly training for an MMA fight. Speculative buzz swirls around his mystery opponent.

Key Takeaways:

• Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms, tore his ACL while training for an MMA fight.
• The injury has temporarily derailed his MMA training, but Zuckerberg is determined to resume once he is healed.
• Despite the setback, Zuckerberg and billionaire foe, Elon Musk, may still be on a collision course

Mark Zuckerberg's Passion for Martial Arts Training

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has become quite the enthusiastic fan of mixed martial arts (MMA) in recent years.

Most notably, training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and winning a regional Californian tournament, in May of 2023. In an Instagram post, Mark shared his recent success, taking home both a gold and silver metal in respective weight divisions.

"Competed in my first jiu jitsu tournament and won some medals 🥇🥈 for the Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu team. Thanks to @davecamarillo @khaiwu @intense0nefor training me!"

The billionaire tech mogul has also been spotted ringside at numerous UFC events and has been photographed training with UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski.

Israel Adesanya (left), Mark Zuckerberg (middle), Alexander Volkanovksi (right)Photo byNolan King via MMAJunkie

But, Mark's latest injury will take him out of the training room for the foreseeable future.

Mark Zuckerberg Tears His ACL

Although it's impossible to say whether Mark's intense training was for his long-awaited fight with billionaire foe, Elon Musk, or a "more serious" opponent, Mark's latest injury will sideline his competitive aspirations... at least, for now.

In a recent Instagram post, Mark shared the details of his injury,

"Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it. Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that's delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover. Thanks to everyone for the love and support."

ACL injuries are serious yet common amongst competitive athletes, typically taking anywhere from 3-9 months to fully recover from, depending on the severity. While the road to recovery can be challenging, Zuckerberg remains determined to return to his MMA training and competition once he has fully healed.

Potential MMA Fight with Elon Musk

One of the most intriguing conversations surrounding Mark Zuckerberg's passion for MMA is the potential match between Zuckerberg and fellow tech mogul Elon Musk. The idea of a fight between these two influential figures captured the attention of fans and the media alike. However, despite the initial excitement, it appears that the proposed fight will not come to fruition.

While the banter between Zuckerberg and Musk created a buzz in the MMA community, Zuckerberg has since shifted his focus away from the proposed fight. As recently as August, prior to his injury, Mark shared he was moving away from the fight, citing Elon's lack of seriousness.

"If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and an official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. I'm going to focus on competing with people who take the fight seriously."

Instead, he now aims to compete with individuals who take the sport seriously, emphasizing his dedication to the art and his desire to test his skills against seasoned fighters.

Elon Musk, 52, on the other hand, has a more nonchalant approach, openly sharing he had not been training -- nor needs to, due to a significant size advantage. Late last week, prior to knowledge of Mark's injury, Elon discussed his stance on the fight on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience,

"At the end of the day, I will fight you [Mark] any place, anywhere, under any rules."

Conclusion

Although Mark Zuckerberg's ACL injury will put him out of any potential fight for the foreseeable future, the tech billionaire is still hopeful for a full recovery and to book a fight as early as next year.

Mark has become enamoured with MMA in recent years and has every intention to compete -- whether it be staving of Elon's patented "walrus technique" or taking on a trained mixed martial artist, Mark is determined to scratch his itch of competitive combat.

Hey, I'm Hudson! I write about social media, marketing, and modern entrepreneurship. Hit follow for more stories like this one.