Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg undergoes ACL surgery following MMA training injury

MENLO PARK – Mark Zuckerberg announced that he underwent surgery following a knee injury he sustained while training in mixed martial arts.

The CEO of Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta posted a series of pictures of himself from his hospital bed on Friday, with one of his knees in a brace. He said that the surgery was needed after tearing his ACL while sparring.

“Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me.” Zuckerberg said in the post. “I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that’s delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover.”

One of the richest people on earth, Zuckerberg has gained notoriety in recent months for his skills in the ring. In May, the Meta CEO earned gold and silver medals at his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition at Woodside High School on the Peninsula.

In a 2022 interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg said he began studying mixed martial arts during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the sport’s “primal” nature helped him boost his energy level as he tackles challenges at work.

Over the summer, Zuckerberg and X CEO Elon Musk seemingly agreed to a “cage match” following an exchange between the two tech billionaires on social media.

Several weeks later, Zuckerberg said Musk “isn’t serious” about the fight and that it was “time to move on” after details about the proposed showdown were not nailed down.

“If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. I’m going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously,” Zuckerberg said on his Threads social platform in August.

According to Stanford Medicine, rehabilitation for ACL surgery can take several months, with most athletes returning to full activity nine to 12 months after the procedure.