--- title: "Mark Zuckerberg Denies Getting Choked Out in Jiu-Jitsu Fight" description: "Meta-formerly-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has denied getting choked out to the point of unconsciousness during a jiu-jitsu match." date: "2023-06-06" modified: "2023-06-06" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mark-zuckerberg-denies-passing-out-jiu-jitsu" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "facebook" - "mark zuckerberg" - "Meta" - "the digest" --- # Mark Zuckerberg Denies Getting Choked Out in Jiu-Jitsu Fight ![Meta-formerly-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has denied getting choked out to the point of unconsciousness during a jiu-jitsu match.]() *Mark Zuckerberg has been criticized by one of its early investors for failing to combat its fake news problem and its role in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections according to CNBC. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images\* ## Swolecial Network Meta-formerly-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in the [midst of a swole rebrand](), has denied getting choked out to the point of unconsciousness during a [fight with Apple]()... er, sorry, not Apple, just some dude at a [Bay Area jiu-jitsu tournament](). "On May 6, Mr. Zuckerberg competed in his first Brazilian jujitsu event, in Woodside, CA, where he defeated an Uber engineer and won two medals, and lost consciousness," [reads a June 2 *New York* *Times* report]() from which the knock-out rumor first arose. "José Lucas Costa da Silva, a veteran Brazilian jujitsu fighter who refereed one of Mr. Zuckerberg’s matches, said that he halted the bout after he heard Mr. Zuckerberg start to snore, a sign of someone who has passed out in a chokehold." "This is something we are trained to know," Costa da Silva told the *NYT*, reportedly adding that Zuckerberg was a good sport and "enjoying the moment" regardless. ## Grunt Cake But that KO claim has proven to be controversial. After the story was published, Zucko, his jiu-jitsu coach, *and* the multi-billion dollar Silicon Valley behemoth that is Meta all went on the defensive, claiming that the [meat-smoking Metalord]() never passed out — he was just grunting, thank you very much! "After publishing our story, I heard from both Mark Zuckerberg and his Brazilian jujitsu coach," reporter Joe Bernstein, who wrote the *NYT* article, [tweeted on Saturday](), a day after the initial report ran. "They both insisted that Mr. Zuckerberg had \*not\* lost consciousness, and the coach said that the referee had mistaken his effortful grunting for snores." "At no point during the competition was Mark knocked unconscious," Meta spokesperson Elana Widmann separately [told *The Daily Beast*]() as rumors of the KO began to circulate. "That never happened." *Do you know anything about this incident, or Mark Zuckerberg's martial arts career more generally? Shoot us an email: [tips@futurism.com](). We can keep you anonymous.* ## Distract and Run As we simply must note: this was a *particularly* inopportune week for Zucko to have to refute this specific claim, given that Apple finally just unveiled its new, buzzy, and [highly anticipated foray into the world of VR]() — a space into which Zuckerberg has poured [eye-watering amounts of both time and money](), with [little commercial luck](). Apple's new — $3,500! — VR goggles will be directly competing with Meta's Quest headsets, and with his company locked in a very visible battle with another giant... well, again, just really bad timing on the jiu-jitsu rumor. But, hey, if you hear through the grapevine that Zuckerberg's nervous about Apple, pay it no mind. It was probably just some effortful grunting. **More on Zuckerberg's hobbies:** [*Watch Mark Zuckerberg Slam Opponent in Hand to Hand Combat*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()