Mark Zuckerberg has continued his journey from ‘nerdy tech guy’ to alpha MMA enthusiast by stepping inside the octagon with former UFC Bantamweight champion, Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili. And while the professional with 25 wins to his name went easy on his Facebook friend, “Zuck” still managed to impress his social media followers.
“When @merab.dvalishvili is town and asks to do some tune-up rounds, that’s one way to start your day,” shared Zuckerberg on how the viral sparring session went down. “Let’s go,” offered the 21-5-0 MMA star as the pair touched gloves and mixed it up. You didn’t need a pair of virtual sunglasses to appreciate these visuals!
When did Mark Zuckerberg Get into MMA?
While yet to officially compete in MMA, the Meta magnate shocked the world when he transitioned to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, even winning a tournament in the 149-pound division in 2023. Following the victory, his coach, Dave Camarillo told ESPN that Zuckerberg was “amazing,” adding, “He is an extremely hard worker, as everybody knows. But a lot of people have a business and they’re successful and they have that side of their life, and rarely do they dip into the physical side, especially with something like jiu-jitsu and MMA, and have the same amount of success or even go past Day 1 or Month 1. He’s not that kind of guy. I think he has a good balance between what he does with his business and what he does in the physical realm. And he excels. He’s one of the best students I’ve ever had.”
Regarding his passion for MMA, Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan that he’d fallen in love instantly. “From the very first session that I did, like five minutes in, I was like, ‘Where has this been my whole life?’” he explained.
Mark Zuckerberg Mixes It Up with MMA’s greats
Whether he’s boxing with Alex Pereira or training with 5-time world jiu-jitsu champ, Marcelo Garcia, Zuckerberg loves to get physical, so it came as no surprise when he stepped into the cage with Dvalishvili, who is expected to complete his trilogy with Din Thomas in the near future.
During the Instagram reel shared by both men, Zuckerberg appeared relaxed as he got in a few strikes against The Machine, weathering some punches, and even taking down the former Bantamweight champ. From there, however, Zuck succumbed to his more powerful opponent, finding himself stuck underneath his vastly more experienced rival. Of course, the roughhousing was all in good fun, and Zuckerberg’s willingness to get out of his comfort zone and into the Octagon impressed many. “You look great out there!” commented fellow tech exec, Melinda Davenport. “Way to keep up with that machine!” added another impressed IG follower. This leading to the all-important question. “Zuck, are we going to see you in UFC soon?” asked one user, speaking for all of social media.
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To follow Merab Dvalishvili on Instagram, click here.
