--- title: "Video Emerges of Mark Zuckerberg Getting Beat Down" description: "A video of the jiu-jitsu match where Meta-formerly-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was maybe-choked-out was obtained by NPR." date: "2023-06-07" modified: "2023-06-07" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-mark-zuckerberg-jiu-jitsu" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "billionaires" - "facebook" - "mark zuckerberg" - "the digest" --- # Video Emerges of Mark Zuckerberg Getting Beat Down ![A video of the jiu-jitsu match where Meta-formerly-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was maybe-choked-out was obtained by NPR.]() *\Image: Ibrahim Househould\* [We did it, Joe](). We have a video. To recap, on Saturday, [*The New York Times* published a story]() on Meta-formerly-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's recently-adopted and well-recorded Swole Guy endeavors, which have included but have not been limited to Zuck posting [jacked, equipment-heavy Instagram selfies](), [renting out UFC arenas](), and competing in a [Bay Area jiu-jitsu tournament]() in early May. As reports noted at the time, Zuck actually did quite well at that jiu-jitsu tournament, earning two gold and one silver medal on the day. But according to this weekend's *NYT* report, Zuck's silver medal match ended pretty roughly on the Facebook founder's side, with Zuck apparently getting choked out to the point of unconsciousness by his opponent. Not fun, but it happens in hand-to-hand combat sports. That particular anecdote, however, seemed to irritate the extracurricular-happy Facebook founder, who — along with his jiu-jitsu coach *and* the might of Meta's comms department — [pushed back](). They're saying the ref was mistaken, and Zuck never passed out — his "effortful grunting," [as the billionaire's coach put it to *NYT* writer Joe Bernstein](), was simply mistaken as a snore. This pushback, however, was still very he-said, Zuck-said. Referees do make wrong calls, and after all, there was no video — until now. A video of the controversial match in question was [shared with *NPR*]() by the spouse of the match's winner and alleged Zuck-choker-outer, Jeff Ibrahim, who also gave *NPR* a detailed run-down of his experience battling the Zuck in a local high school gym. https://twitter.com/fernalfonso/status/1666076583893909504 First and foremost, it's important to note that neither Zuck nor Meta has disputed the claim that the founder lost the match — they've only pushed back against the claim that Zucko passed out. "Basically, he pulled me and when I got on top of him, his legs were wrapped around me," Ibrahim told *NPR* of the controversial match in question. "He's pulling the sleeve of my uniform, to the point where my uniform almost comes off, because I'm trying to get out of his guard. His technique was decent. I was able to actually get out of his guard, or as we call it, passing the guard. I was able to get out of it, and then switch positions. But then he ended up kind of pulling me back into his guard, but it wasn't tight enough." Alright, so, Ibrahim "passed the guard," which [according to one MMA blog]() means "establishing a more dominant position," which can be seen pretty clearly in Ibrahim's spouse's video of the event. And while Ibrahim says he's not sure whether Zuck ever actually passed out, he *did* say that the founder's grip on him started to get noticeably weaker as the battle wore on. "I wasn't going to let go of it until one, he tapped out, or two, the referees stopped me," the fighter continued. "And I felt that he never tapped out. I couldn't tell if he was making any noises or anything... I was just in the zone." "I mean, he was trying to get out of it," Ibrahim added, "but like the grip that he had on me, it just kept getting looser and looser." Then, as the video shows, the ref stepped in, tapping Ibrahim on the back. Ibrahim rose in what looked like confusion — like he said, he was "in the zone" — and then, a split second later, so did an also-confused-looking Zuck, who can be seen having a back-and-forth with the ref. He doesn't make a scene, but he's visibly aggravated. "Mark was confused originally, then that's when the referee explained it to him," Ibrahim explained to *NPR*. "And then he just shook his head and like, 'OK, I got it. I understand.'" And though Zuck was certainly perturbed by the ref, Ibrahim says that [Facebook's Eye of Sauron]() was nothing short of a good sport to his opponent. "We shook hands," Ibrahim told *NPR*. "Gave a little bro hug." Alas, we may never know whether Zuck was choked to the point of unconsciousness as a grown man in a high school gym. But at the end of the day, says Ibrahim, the guy went out there and did the damn thing. That's not easy for anyone, let alone a controversial billionaire who's oft been [accused of undermining democracy](). Gotta give him that. "I mean, whatever politics people have regarding Zuckerberg, he came across to me like, he was a cool dude," the jiu-jitsu hobbyist added. "I just looked at him like he was just another person who wanted to compete in jiu-jitsu. And the one thing that people don't understand, the hardest part is stepping on a mat to compete in front of hundreds or thousands of people." "And, you know, I have to give him his props," Ibrahim continued. "He did that." **More on Mark Zuckerberg:** [*There's an Interesting Theory about Why Zuckerberg Wasted Billions on the Metaverse*]() ## 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]()