Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg grabbed the headlines. His passion for jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts is not unknown. Zuckerberg joined the ranks of other notable personalities who have taken up the gentle art.
A recent grappling match involving Mark Zuckerberg has come to the spotlight and was officiated by Lucas Costa, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt and referee. Costa recounts being surprised by Zuckerberg’s participation, as the Meta CEO arrived with a security team while wearing a mask, baseball cap, and sunglasses.
Mark Zuckerberg lost the battle
Costa was impressed by Zuckerberg’s professional conduct despite the media attention. Besides Zuckerberg’s grappling prowess, Costa praised him as a “normal guy” who followed the code of conduct of a jiu-jitsu tournament.
However, one particular moment of the Meta CEO seemingly arguing with the referee after succumbing to an Ezekiel choke submission has been circulating widely on the internet.
According to a report by Bloody Elbow, referee Lucas Costa has confirmed that there was no argument and provided a detailed account of the entire episode leading up to his decision to stop the fight:
“There was no argument. It [the bout] was in Gi and he got choked out. That was the video you saw. I stopped it and he wanted to check with me about why I stopped it. He didn’t know what was happening, which was one of the reasons I stopped it. But he had started to snore and the rule set says that snoring is a version of a verbal tap.”
Costa added:
“I was paying a lot of attention. I was paying even more attention because it was Mark. He got caught in an Ezekiel and I waited, but he didn’t fight back. And I was waiting, but on the third snore I had to stop the fight. He was very polite but he wanted to know how the rules work.”
Mark Zuckerberg complains to referee after losing jiu-jitsu contest pic.twitter.com/1CvvmdQw8J
— The Independent (@Independent) May 8, 2023
