Mark Zuckerberg and Meta slam New York Times report alleging Facebook founder was choked out during recent Jiu-Jitsu tournament after ref said he ‘started to snore’ while in chokehold

• The billionaire impressed martial arts fans and showcased his skills during his first ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Redwood City, California on May 6
• He picked up gold and silver medals but Zuckerberg was left frustrated in one fight after he was pinned down and the referee ended the match early
• The referee said he ended it early because he heard the tech CEO snoring but Meta, Zuckerberg and his coach deny this and claim he was just grunting

Meta has disputed claims that its CEO Mark Zuckerberg was knocked out during a Jiu-Jitsu fight last month after a referee ended the bout early and gave the win to his opponent. 

The billionaire Facebook founder impressed martial arts fans and showcased his skills during his first ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Redwood City, California on May 6. 

He proved he has serious grappling skills as picked up gold and silver medals but Zuckerberg was left frustrated in one fight after he was pinned down and the referee ended the match early. 

The official later said he intervened because he started to snore which is a sign he was unconscious. 

But Meta, Zuckerberg and his coach have come out to deny this and claim he was just grunting. 

Meta has dispelled claims that its CEO Mark Zuckerberg was knocked out during a Jiu-Jitsu fight last month after a referee ended the bout early and gave the win to his opponent 

Zuckerberg picked up gold and silver medals in his first ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in California on May 6 but he was left frustrated in one fight after he was pinned down 

The referee said he ended the bout early because he heard Zuckerberg (pictured) snoring but Meta, Zuckerberg and his coach deny this and claim he was just grunting

A clip of him wrestling on the floor and trying to break free from an opponent who pinned him down on the mat went viral. 

They struggled for more than a minute before Zuckerberg was locked in a submission but the referee called the match and gave the win to his opponent.

And the official said he stopped the fight because he heard the tech CEO snoring and thought he had passed out during the chokehold.

The video shows Zuckerberg standing to his feet with his chest exposed, looking aggravated with the referee and his opponent.

‘This is something we are trained to know,’ referee Costa da Silva, a veteran fighter, told The New York Times. 

But Zuckerberg and his coach Dave Camarillo told the publication he had not lost consciousness and the referee mistook his grunting for snoring. 

‘That never happened,’ Zuckerberg wrote in an email.

And Meta echoed this in a statement on Saturday and told Dailymail.com: ‘At no point during the competition was Mark knocked unconscious. That never happened.’ 

A spokesman for the company claimed the referee ‘apologized to Mark and his coach after the match for prematurely calling the match.’

Following the fight, Zuckerberg hugged his opponent and locked hands with him affectionately after a short tense discussion with the referee. 

The world-famous tech giant proved he has serious ability in his first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition by winning gold and silver medals.

The medals were awarded for the Gi and No-Gi disciplines.

After the final outcome of the fight was called, Zuckerberg hugged his opponent and locked hands with him affectionately

Zuckerberg performed very well during his first ever Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament (pictured) after taking an interest in the sport during the pandemic 

The world-famous tech giant won medals in both the Gi (pictured) and No-Gi disciplines 

The Gi is the loose-fitting uniform of heavy fabric tied with a belt that’s often worn by competitors.

It was revealed in September last year that Zuckerberg had taken up mixed martial arts (MMA), with his trainer describing him as a ‘silent killer’ in the ring.

He proudly shared photos from the tournament on his official Instagram account but did not divulge the name of the competition.

‘Competed in my first Jiu-Jitsu tournament and won some medals for the Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu team,’ Zuckerberg wrote. ‘Thanks to @davecamarillo @khaiwu @intense0ne for training me!’

He was referring to Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu founder Camarillo, martial artist Khai ‘The Shadow’ Wu, and owner of Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Pleasanton James Terry.

Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan in 2022 that he became very interested in mixed martial arts during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has since been training in the various aspects of the combat sport.

‘I really like watching UFC for example, but I also like doing the sport,’ Zuckerberg said on the podcast.

‘There’s something so primal about it, I don’t know … Since then I’ve just introduced a bunch of my friends to it. We train together, and we like, wrestle together, and there’s a certain intensity to it that I like.’

The Meta boss has also been seen sitting ringside at UFC events and seems to have developed a friendship with UFC boss Dana White.

In 2022, Zuckerberg posted footage of himself sparring with Khai ‘The Shadow’ Wu ahead of the fighter’s UFC debut.

The video, which attracted hundred of thousands of likes, quickly went viral and drew comments from many big names in the fighting world.

‘This is great!’ Rogan commented. ‘I’m so happy to see this. Training looks solid too!’

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Bernardo Faria said: ‘Amazing!!! Half guard, arm-bars, triangle! Super cool!’

‘That’s dope,’ UFC grappler and three-time World Jiu-Jitsu champion Gilbert Burns wrote.

Zuckerberg has explained that training is ‘really important’ to him and helps to maintain his ‘energy level and focus’.

Zuckerberg has spent time training in different aspects of mixed martial arts and has previously been complimented on his ability by Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor

The billionaire has received praise from members of the fighting community from all over the world

‘It’s because I have a connection to it,’ he said.

‘Since COVID, I got super into surfing and foiling, and then really into MMA. I know a lot of people who do it.

‘MMA is like the perfect thing because it’s like, if you stop paying attention for one second, you’re gonna end up on the bottom.’

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become very popular with celebrities in recent years, with the likes of Tom Hardy, Russell Brand, Henry Cavill and Guy Ritchie posting about their interest in the sport.

Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu is a system of grappling that integrates the Olympic sport of Judo with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Founder Camarillo is a Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, though he moved away from Ralph’s academy to form his own style of grappling which he branded Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu.

Camarillo is now a mainstream name as a coach after many of his students became big stars in the world of MMA, names such as Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Cain Velazquez.

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