Ex-Meta Boss Reveals Amusing Way Mark Zuckerberg Bonds with Upper Management — and It's Not Golf

Forget golf, fancy dinners, or weekend retreats. When it comes to Mark Zuckerberg bonding with Meta's top brass, the former Meta executive reveals that the key to building camaraderie with the CEO is a surprisingly casual and rather amusing game.

Mark Zuckerberg's dedication to mixed martial arts (MMA) is so great that he encouraged his top executives to train with him. The Meta CEO's commitment to mixed martial arts is so strong that he wanted his top management to participate in workouts with him.

Zuckerberg's Newfound Passion

This intriguing story comes from the upcoming book by Nick Clegg, Meta's former president of global affairs. In the book, which Fast Company critics described as having 'thin prose' except for a few 'surprising anecdotes', Clegg recounts an instance where he sparred with his deputy, Joel Kaplan.

In his story, Clegg recounts how Zuckerberg brought some of Meta's top executives together for an MMA training session during a management retreat. Kaplan, who has since become Clegg's successor, apparently put him in a position that Clegg described as 'too close for comfort'.

That intimate corporate manoeuvre sheds light on a passion that has been central to Mark Zuckerberg's life: his dedication to mixed martial arts, which has recently captivated the public's attention.

How Mark Got Into MMA, His Training

Zuckerberg began his journey into martial arts during the pandemic, falling in love with sparring and committing to Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts.

When Mark Zuckerberg first publicly mentioned his interest in mixed martial arts, he spoke of it as both a form of discipline and a way to achieve a 'flow state'. During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience in August 2022, he explained how he began training in both MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu during the pandemic and why the practice resonated with him.

By the spring of 2023, Zuckerberg had moved from training to competing. On 6 May 2023, he participated in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in Redwood City, where he earned gold and silver medals in his divisions. The Post reported that his appearance was covered and photographed by various mainstream sports publications.

His training has become increasingly serious and advanced. Zuckerberg has shared videos of himself sparring with professional fighter Khai 'The Shadow' Wu, who also posted about being in his corner at the first BJJ competition — providing a firsthand look into Zuckerberg's time on the mats.

In July 2023, he also received his blue belt in BJJ from his well-known coach, Dave Camarillo, and shared the news himself. In November 2023, Zuckerberg announced on Instagram that he'd torn his ACL while getting ready for an amateur MMA debut and had to undergo surgery. The Associated Press covered the news that same day.

That same summer, he also trained with UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski, with the participants themselves documenting the sessions. The photos and videos shared on their Instagram accounts underscored that this was more than a casual workout — it was serious training with top-tier talent.

The Fight That Almost Happened

The high-profile idea for a 'billionaire brawl' started between 20 and 21 June 2023. It began when Elon Musk tweeted that he was 'up for a cage match', to which Zuckerberg replied on Instagram, 'send me location'. The Verge documented the entire exchange, including Zuckerberg's quick response.

Within days, UFC President Dana White said he had spoken to both men and that they were 'absolutely dead serious', predicting a mega-event for charity. Mainstream news outlets widely reported this.

Throughout the summer, reports documented their on-again, off-again discussions, proposed venues and logistics that never quite came together. By mid-August, Zuckerberg publicly lost interest in the idea, stating he would move on unless a firm date was set.

For Meta, this narrative even appeared in the company's risk section. In its 2024 annual report, which was filed in February 2025, Meta warned that 'high-risk activities such as combat sports' undertaken by its leaders could result in reputational or operational harm. This was a particular reference to the CEO's hobby.