Over the weekend, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), competed in his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition. His opponent was Vijay Hanumantha Raju, a software engineer at Uber, who was also making his competitive debut. The two competed in the Master 1 division for athletes in their 30s.
Zuckerberg ultimately won the no-gi white belt, 149-pound division at BJJ Tour Silicon Valley, beating Hanumantha Raju in two out of three matches.
Zuckerberg’s Jiu-Jitsu Journey
Zuckerberg has been training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for about one year under Dave Camarillo, a former head Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach for American Kickboxing Academy. Camarillo has also coached other high-profile people, such as actor Keanu Reeves.
Zuckerberg credits his friends who also grapple for introducing him to the sport. He fell in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu almost immediately, calling it the “best sport.”
The Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu
Camarillo praised Zuckerberg’s willingness to be physical and be humbled in training. He believes that jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts offer people a competitive edge, and it’s cool to see high-profile people like Zuckerberg and others participate.
Zuckerberg, who is worth more than $80 billion, could do anything he wants, but he chooses to push his body physically in the jiu-jitsu gym.
Hanumantha Raju was impressed with Zuckerberg’s grappling game, saying he was “pretty good, pretty strong” and had “the ins and outs of the basics going.”
After the match, the two competitors got to talk and even discussed other martial arts disciplines they train in. Hanumantha Raju posted photos of Zuckerberg and him on Instagram, calling it an “unforgettable experience.” Zuckerberg replied in the comments, saying he would be up for a rematch or some training together.
Leave a Reply