Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Mikey Musumeci has made a bold claim: Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg could not only hold his own in the cage but actually defeat a professional fighter.
In the midst of the previously anticipated but now seemingly defunct cage fight challenge between tech titans Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, Musumeci has weighed in with high praise on Zuckerberg’s fighting prowess.
Having trained with the tech mogul on several occasions, he has firsthand insight into Zuckerberg’s abilities.
“I was pretty shocked. [Mark’s] a grinder. He has that grind in him. The second I saw that, I said, ‘Okay, he can be very good at MMA or jiu-jitsu’ because first of all, he has the highest IQ, but he’s also tough as f***!” Mikey told TMZ Sports.
“He’s tough as f*ck.”Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world champion, Mikey Musumeci thinks Mark Zuckerberg could hang with a professional fighter pic.twitter.com/GXESrWL0Qf
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 21, 2023
Similarly to the relationship that Zuckerberg has with current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, Musumeci and Zuckerberg’s relationship goes beyond the gym. The two are friends who not only train together but also chat outside of their workout sessions.
When pressed on whether Zuckerberg could truly “hang with a professional fighter,” Musumeci was unequivocal: “100%. 100%, and I think he could win.”
With the fight against Elon Musk seemingly off the table, speculation is mounting that Zuckerberg may face an actual pro fighter in a top MMA promotion. “Not holding my breath for Elon, but I’ll share details on my next fight when I’m ready,” Zuckerberg posted on Threads.
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“When I compete, I want to do it in a way that puts a spotlight on the elite athletes at the top of the game. You do that by working with professional orgs like the UFC or ONE to pull this off well and create a great card.”
Mark Zuckerberg training with two UFC champions pic.twitter.com/31Odw0jMAN
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) July 11, 2023
UFC President Dana White has also weighed in on Zuckerberg’s interest in competing. In an interview with TMZ Sports, White confirmed his ongoing discussions with the Meta CEO.
“So [Zuckerberg] and I talk multiple times a week,” White said. “We [had] dinner last Monday. He’s very serious about competing… What he was saying in response to Elon was, ‘There are tons of professional organizations out there, and this is the way that this should be done.’ Not in some backyard or whatever he was saying. Elon’s hilarious.
“Think about this; you’ve got two of the richest, most powerful men in the world, and they say they wanna fight. It has to be sanctioned by an athletic commission… and that’s what Zuckerberg was saying. Zuckerberg is saying, ‘There are plenty of professional organizations out there, we should be fighting in the UFC.'”
Between Musumeci’s strong endorsement of Zuckerberg’s fighting ability and Dana White’s confirmation of Zuckerberg’s serious intent to compete, the prospect of the Meta CEO stepping into the ring is more real than ever.
