Mark Zuckerberg trains with UFC icon Max Holloway eight months after teasing plan to compete in the octagon
12/26/2024 06:15 AM
Earlier this year, Meta CEO Meta Mark Zuckerberg admitted that he'd love the opportunity to actively compete inside the UFC octagon; but only after recovering from an ACL injury.
Now, it looks like the tech giant, who is an avid fan of Mixed Martial Arts, is back to training – only this time, he's teamed up with former UFC featherweight champion, Max 'Blessed' Holloway.
UFC superfan Mark Zuckerberg trains with former champion Max Holloway
Speculation around a potential billionaire-MMA match between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk has thankfully subsided this past year; with UFC CEO Dana White having previously teased that he was in talks to stage the super-fight at the Colosseum in Italy.
Whilst it's highly unlikely that the Facebook and X owners would ever find themselves standing opposite each other in the UFC octagon, Zuckerberg continues to train various facets of Mixed Martial Arts.
The best way to improve your skills is to train alongside the best MMA fighters on the planet; and it's safe to say that 'Zucks' incredibly deep pockets has earned him the chance to learn from the absolute best.
After training with former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya last year, Zuckerberg has now joined forces with Max Holloway.
The pair recently posed for a photo, shared to their respective Instagram pages, showing them in full MMA training gear with the caption "Blessed kind of weekend."
That post has garnered more than 287,000 likes, with Zuckerberg replying to various fan comments praising the teaching style and insight he's gained from the BMF champion.
"He has a very interesting way of approaching the sport. Really neat to learn from him," wrote the tech giant, adding in a separate comment that Holloway was "Super insightful and a good dude."
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According to TMZ, Zuckerberg had flown out both Adesanya and Volkanovski to his home in Northern California for some intense training sessions in 2023; with 'Stylebender' later stating that "This is serious business."
In Bloody Elbow's 'Bold Predictions for 2025', Head of Combat Sports Jordan Ellis predicted that Zuckerberg will make his professional MMA debut in the New Year.
Dana White asks for Mark Zuckerberg's help over UFC rankings
Aside from the possibility of an actual fight inside the UFC octagon, there's still a chance that Mark Zuckerberg will have a key role in the promotion in 2025, i.e., helping Dana White to 'fix' the rankings.
In the aftermath of UFC 309, heavyweight champion Jon 'Bones' Jones failed to recapture the number one spot on the pound-for-pound rankings; prompting White to once again call on the tech guru's help.
"I have to get rid of these clowns," wrote the UFC CEO in an Instagram story this past October, before calling on the Meta Chairman to help him "get this AI deal done ASAP!"
That deal would reportedly see the panel of MMA journalists who oversee the rankings exit stage left, with an Artificial Intelligence tool being used as their replacement.
We expect AI to dominate a fair few combat sports headlines in 2025, especially following the rather divisive introduction of an AI judge for the heavyweight boxing showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk last weekend.
