Mark Zuckerberg almost submitting the most dangerous man in MMA sounds like meme fuel, yet one video circulating this week made the claim oddly believable. The moment comes from an ABC story showing Zuckerberg grappling with Alex “Poatan” Pereira in a light, controlled sparring session. Pereira posted a still image and short clips on his social accounts, which MMA pages like Home of Fight quickly amplified.
In the key frame, Zuckerberg is on top working what ABC calls an arm triangle choke, with Pereira’s head and one arm pinned as Zuck leans in with shoulder pressure. Pereira escapes a second later, but the visual is strong enough that headlines about the tech billionaire “almost finishing” a two-division UFC champion practically write themselves. ABC is clear that this is sparring ligero, controlado, and that Pereira is obviously giving him openings, but the image still lands.
The Sun added another detail: the roll took place at the new New York gym operated by Pereira’s coach Plinio Cruz, reinforcing that Zuckerberg is now training inside authentic, high-level fight rooms rather than polished celebrity gyms. His technique, while still that of a hobbyist, looks surprisingly tidy. It fits the pattern. Two years ago, he completed the grueling Murph workout in 39:58 minutes, a time that would have ranked top 5 at the 2015 CrossFit Games. Fighters who train with him often say the same thing: he keeps going long after most casuals have fallen apart.
Zuckerberg has been serious about MMA since the pandemic. He told Joe Rogan he got into Brazilian jiu-jitsu through friends already obsessed with combat sports and quickly became addicted to the primal focus required. He trains at Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu under Dave Camarillo, who has praised his willingness to learn like a regular student instead of a billionaire looking for shortcuts. In 2023, Zuckerberg even competed at the BJJ Tour Silicon Valley as a white belt, winning gold in no-gi and silver in gi. His training partners have kept getting better. Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski visited Meta HQ to tour the facility and test the company’s motion-capture performance avatars.
All of this sets up why the Pereira image exploded. Pereira isn’t just any fighter. He is one of the most decorated kickboxers to enter MMA, a former two-division Glory champion known for patient pressure, brutal low kicks, and a left hook that has ended careers. In the UFC, he stopped Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight belt, moved to light heavyweight, and finished Jiří Procházka to win the vacant title, then defended it three times in 175 days, a divisional record.
So, when a single frame shows Zuckerberg seemingly cinching up an arm triangle on a man feared across two sports, the internet predictably lost its mind. Pereira was toying with him; the session was playful, and no one believed Zuckerberg truly threatened a finish. But for one dramatic freeze-frame, the contrast was wild enough to entertain everyone.
