Mark Zuckerberg has again turned heads in the MMA world, this time by taking down a reigning UFC champion.
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira uploaded a series of pictures and clips to his Instagram account on Thursday, and they quickly became viral among mixed martial arts fans.
One of them showed the Meta CEO successfully landing a takedown on Pereira during their grappling session together.
The training took place at Cruz Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Nutley, New Jersey, and it was led by Pereira’s longtime coach, Plinio Cruz. Pereira indicated the session happened shortly after his UFC 320 victory over Magomed Ankalaev on Oct. 4, in what he said was his “first training” after that matchup.
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Despite a clear size difference, footage showed Zuckerberg, 41, holding his own against the Brazilian powerhouse before executing a takedown that sent the UFC star to the mat, even though Pereira could have done more to prevent that from happening.
The clip immediately spread across social media, with fans pointing out Pereira’s restraint but also acknowledging Zuckerberg’s skill and technique for someone who can only consider himself an amateur in the world of MMA.
The Facebook founder, however, has trained for several years in mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, working alongside top UFC fighters including Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski and Mackenzie Dern. He claimed his first jiu-jitsu medals back in May 2023.
Zuckerberg has also developed a close relationship with UFC CEO Dana White, the latter having joined Meta’s board of directors in January 2025. A few months later, in June, White suggested that Zuckerberg could eventually compete in the UFC’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu division.
“If Mark keeps training and competing and whatever, he could literally come here and fight in UFC BJJ, 100 percent,” White told TMZ. “Tom Hardy, Mario Lopez and many, many other actors that are really good jiu-jitsu guys that nobody knows about. That would be absolutely awesome!”
Zuckerberg suffered a torn ACL in 2023 while preparing for a potential exhibition fight, but he appears fully recovered based on this new Pereira footage. That said, there are no official plans for his potential UFC BJJ debut.