The much-anticipated octagon showdown between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk may not have happened, but there`s still a chance Zuckerberg could get involved with the UFC through grappling.
This Wednesday marks the beginning of a new promotional phase for the UFC with the debut of UFC BJJ 1. This event is the organization`s first major step into the world of competitive jiu-jitsu. While the UFC has previously hosted Fight Pass Invitationals, UFC BJJ 1 is set to crown champions in three distinct weight classes—bantamweight, lightweight, and welterweight—signaling a significant effort to establish dominance in grappling, much like they did in MMA.
UFC CEO Dana White shared insights on the initiative with TMZ Sports, confirming that the objective is to facilitate the most prominent grappling contests possible. He also stressed the aim to educate the public about jiu-jitsu and its practitioners, bringing a degree of structure to the sport.
White acknowledged the existence of numerous jiu-jitsu tournaments worldwide, some offering substantial financial rewards. However, he positioned the UFC`s platform as unique. “We`re going to come in and say, `You can be considered one of the best in the world, but you can come fight the best at the UFC and win a world title. You`ll be a world champion, everybody will be ranked, and put some structure to it,`” White explained.
Beyond serving as a platform for elite grapplers, White envisions UFC BJJ as a potential venue for high-profile, non-professional matches featuring competitors from other fields.
“Let me tell you something, there’s a lot of other people out there, too,” White added. “There’s actors and athletes. You’d be surprised. Zuckerberg has competed in tournaments. Mario Lopez competes in tournaments. Tom Hardy competes in tournaments. This is a spot, anybody could come and compete here in jiu-jitsu.”
White famously attempted to set up an MMA fight between Zuckerberg and Elon Musk during their public dispute. Although that specific fight didn`t happen, White later secured a position on the board of Zuckerberg’s company, Meta. He mentioned that he and Zuckerberg frequently discuss combat sports.
White openly expressed his enthusiasm for potentially getting the Meta founder to compete under the UFC banner in the grappling format.
“Yeah, we talk a lot about fighting, obviously,” White confirmed. “If Mark keeps training and competing, he could literally come here and fight in UFC BJJ. 100 percent. Tom Hardy, Mario Lopez, and many, many other actors that are really good jiu-jitsu guys that nobody knows about.”
Realistically, an MMA fight between Zuckerberg and Musk was always a long shot. A grappling match, however, makes considerably more sense and could represent a significant promotional boost for the new UFC BJJ series if it were to happen.
