While most billionaires love to spend their summer cruising in multi-million-dollar superyachts around some of the most exotic locations on this planet, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had a completely different idea of how to enjoy his summer days. Instead of having a relaxing time under the sun while sipping tasty cooling drinks, the billionaire chose to slog it out with some of the best MMA fighters in the world on a floating barge. Zuckerberg posted a short video on Instagram where he can be seen training on the water with none other than Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya, two of the most successful and feared MMA fighters who currently compete in the UFC. Captioned “summer vibes,” the dramatically edited video set to the “Mission: Impossible” soundtrack shows the trio fighting, kicking, and flipping on a floating platform in the middle of Lake Tahoe.
We are not sure when the clip was shot, but the video was jointly posted on Instagram by Zuckerberg and Adesanya at the beginning of last month. In case you’re wondering what’s the Meta CEO doing with deadly serious MMA fighters then let me tell you that Zuckerberg has been anything but casual with his martial arts training lately. While the Instagram video has PR stunt written all over it, the billionaire tech leader has been training really hard over the last few years; something which can be seen in a photo he recently posted on social media of his bruised face resulting from a hard training session. Zuckerberg successfully used the Covid lockdown time to shed his geeky CEO image by training with some of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu coaches in the Bay Area and building a ripped physique.
Has Zuckerberg transformed himself into the toughest CEO in the world?
Over the last few years, there has been a growing trend of billionaire entrepreneurs taking time from their busy schedules to focus on their appearance. One of the most prominent examples is that of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who surprised everyone by completely transforming his physique. However, Zuckerberg went one step ahead by completely dedicating himself to reaching the pinnacle of his physical capability. Back in the month of June, the Meta CEO announced that he was able to complete the incredibly difficult Murph workout challenge in just 39:58. The grueling workout included a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and concluded with another 1-mile run. That time would have placed him in the top 5 at the 2015 CrossFit games. If that was not all, Zuckerberg also won a gold and a silver in his first jiu-jitsu tournament. The 39-year-old is quickly gaining credentials to be crowned the toughest CEO in the world.
The most anticipated billionaires’ cage match that sadly never happened
After Elon Musk acquired Twitter last year, the Tesla CEO began feuding with Zuckerberg after reports emerged that Meta-owned Instagram was working on a Twitter (now X) competitor. Things got really interesting when Musk challenged Zuckerberg earlier this year to a cage match, which Zuckerberg accepted.
Even UFC president Dana White got involved in what was being touted as one biggest MMA fights of the year. He went on to claim both men were serious about the fight. That was the first time Zuckerberg was seen training hard with Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya, a Nigerian-born MMA fighter from New Zealand, is the former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. Claimed to be one of the best middleweight MMA fighters of all time, Adesanya went on to become one of the highest-paid athletes in the UFC after winning the belt in 2019. On the other hand, Alexander Volkanovski is a former rugby player from Australia who decided to take up MMA at the age of 22. Volkanovski has been one of the most dominant MMA fighters in UFC over the last few years, placing him on the top of the pound-for-pound list. Obviously, Zuckerberg had carefully selected his team to shame Musk inside the cage. However, after a lot of back and forth, Zuckerberg announced in August that the fight is off, accusing Musk of not being serious about the challenge. What a shame!
