Mark Zuckerberg denies that he was choked out during Jiu-Jitsu tournament
Meta has disputed claims that CEO Mark Zuckerberg was knocked out of a Jiu-Jitsu fight last month after a referee ended the fight prematurely, handing the win to his opponent.
The billionaire Facebook founder impressed martial arts fans by demonstrating his skills at his first-ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Redwood City, California on May 6.
He proved he has serious grappling skills as he took gold and silver medals, but Zuckerberg became frustrated in one fight after he got pinned and the referee ended the match early.
The official later said he intervened because he started snoring, which is a sign he was unconscious.
But Meta, Zuckerberg and his coach deny this, claiming he was just grunting.
Meta has refuted claims that CEO Mark Zuckerberg was knocked out of a Jiu-Jitsu fight last month after a referee ended the fight prematurely, handing the win to his opponent.
Zuckerberg took gold and silver medals in his first-ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in California on May 6, but was frustrated in one fight after being pinned.
The referee said he ended the fight early because he heard Zuckerberg (pictured) snoring, but Meta, Zuckerberg and his coach deny this, claiming he was just grunting
A clip of him struggling to the floor and trying to break free from an opponent who pinned him to the mat went viral.
They struggled for over a minute before Zuckerberg was locked in a submission, but the referee called the bout and handed the win to his opponent.
And the official said he stopped the fight because he heard the tech CEO snoring and thought he passed out during the chokehold.
The video shows Zuckerberg standing with his chest exposed as he looks annoyed at the referee and his opponent.
“This is something we are trained to know,” said referee Costa da Silva, an experienced fighter The New York Times.
But Zuckerberg and his coach Dave Camarillo told the publication that he had not lost consciousness and that the referee mistook his grunt for snoring.
“That never happened,” Zuckerberg wrote in an email.
And Meta reiterated this in a statement on Saturday, telling Dailymail.com: “At no point during the match was Mark knocked unconscious. That never happened.’
A spokesman for the company claimed that the referee “apologised to Mark and his coach after the game for calling off the game early.”
After the fight, Zuckerberg hugged his opponent and lovingly joined his hands after a brief tense argument with the referee.
The world-renowned tech giant proved he has serious skills in his first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match by winning gold and silver medals.
The medals were awarded for the Gi and No-Gi disciplines.
After the final outcome of the fight was announced, Zuckerberg hugged his opponent and held his hand lovingly
Zuckerberg did very well in his first-ever Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament (pictured) after becoming interested in the sport during the pandemic
The world-renowned tech giant won medals in both the Gi (pictured) and No-Gi disciplines
The Gi is the loose-fitting uniform of heavy fabric tied with a belt often worn by competitors.
Last September, it was revealed that Zuckerberg had taken up mixed martial arts (MMA), with his trainer describing him as a “silent killer” in the ring.
He proudly shared photos from the tournament on his official Instagram account, but did not reveal the name of the match.
“Entered my first Jiu-Jitsu tournament and won some medals for the Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu team,” Zuckerberg wrote. “Thanks to @davecamarillo @khaiwu @intense0ne for training me!”
He was referring to Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu founder Camarillo, martial artist Khai ‘The Shadow’ Wu and owner of Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Pleasanton James Terry.
Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan in 2022 that he became very interested in mixed martial arts during the Covid-19 pandemic and has been training in the various aspects of the martial arts ever since.
“For example, I really like watching UFC, but I also like doing the sport,” Zuckerberg said on the podcast.
“There’s something primal about it, I don’t know… Since then I’ve just introduced it to a bunch of friends. We train together, and we love, wrestle together, and there’s a certain intensity to it that I like.”
The Meta boss has also been seen ringside at UFC events and appears to have developed a friendship with UFC boss Dana White.
In 2022, Zuckerberg posted footage of himself sparring with Khai ‘The Shadow’ Wu ahead of the fighter’s UFC debut.
The video, which attracted hundreds of thousands of likes, quickly went viral and drew comments from many big names in the fighting world.
‘This is amazing!’ Rogan noted. ‘I’m so happy to see this. Training looks solid too!’
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Bernardo Faria said, “Great!!! Half guard, armrests, triangle! super cool!’
“That’s dope,” wrote UFC wrestler and three-time Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Gilbert Burns.
Zuckerberg has explained that training is “very important” to him and helps maintain his “energy level and focus.”
Zuckerberg has spent time training in various aspects of mixed martial arts and has previously been complimented on his prowess by Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor
The billionaire has been praised by members of the fighting community from around the world
“It’s because I have a connection with it,” he said.
“Since COVID I went super surfing and foiling, and then really into MMA. I know many people who do it.
“MMA is like the perfect thing because it’s like if you stop paying attention for a second, you hit the bottom.”
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become very popular with celebrities in recent years, with the likes of Tom Hardy, Russell Brand, Henry Cavill and Guy Ritchie posting their interest in the sport.
Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu is a system of wrestling that integrates the Olympic sport of Judo with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Founder Camarillo is a Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, though he moved away from Ralph’s academy to develop his own style of wrestling that he called Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu.
Camarillo is now a mainstream name as a coach after many of his students became big stars in the world of MMA, names like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick and Cain Velazquez.