Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg won gold and silver medals at his debut Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in Redwood City, California.
The Guardian reports that Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, took home gold and silver medals at his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition in Redwood City, California, recently. The martial arts community has taken notice of the tech billionaire as he has displayed his abilities, drawing praise from prominent athletes and celebrities.
Zuckerberg, 38, took up an interest in the sport early on in the pandemic and shared his recent win on Instagram, stating, “Competed in my first jiu-jitsu tournament and won some medals for the Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu team.”
Video of one match shows how seriously Zuckerberg takes the sport, apparently arguing with the referee after one match.
Mark Zuckerberg has a meltdown after losing a juijutsu match.
The billionaire owner of META became visibility upset after the referee called the match for his competitor.
After a heated exchange the referee agreed it was a 0-0 draw and said they could have a rematch.
After… pic.twitter.com/cvQ2LuROm0
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 8, 2023
Khai “the Shadow” Wu, one of Zuckerberg’s coaches, praised his pupil and said, “Yesterday seeing Zuck compete was pretty epic. No match was easy and everything was earned. It was an honor to be able to help coach and offer any advice I could.”
The tech mogul received support from several well-known athletes, such as former UFC champion Conor McGregor, who commented on the post, “Yo!!! F***ing awesome Mark.” Brazilian Bernardo Faria, the five-time world jiu-jitsu champion, also praised Zuckerberg’s performance, exclaiming, “Amazing!!! Half guard, arm-bars, triangle! Super cool!’” Other famous people joined in to congratulate Zuckerberg on his success, including US TV host Mario Lopez.
Not just Zuckerberg but other well-known people have taken up the martial art. Actor Jason Statham and comedian Russell Brand both hold purple belts in jiu-jitsu, while actor Ashton Kutcher, who started training over ten years ago, holds a brown belt. Star of Venom and Peaky Blinders Tom Hardy also competes in the UK after taking first place in events in Milton Keynes and Wolverhampton.
Zuckerberg’s foray into martial arts has attracted a lot of attention and emphasizes the rising popularity of Brazilian jiu-jitsu among public figures and celebrities.
Read more at the Guardian here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan