Title: GOP Senator Claims Zuckerberg Called for a Cage Fight
Mark Zuckerberg is eager for a skirmish, it seems. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican Senator from Oklahoma, spilled the beans during an appearance on The Benny Show that Zuck has extended an invitation to spar multiple times, all while chatting with human entertainment magnet Benny Johnson.
"Mark's really into jujitsu lately, he's been hitting me up via text, inviting me to roll with him," Mullin shared. "He's keen on training, he actually wants to step into the cage and fight. He even said, 'I'd love for you to come down and spar with me sometime.' I think that'd be a blast to go down there and give it a go."
Mullin isn't unfamiliar with the ring; however, he typically serves as the challenger. He made headlines in 2023 for challenging Sean O'Brien, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters' president, to a scuffle on the House floor. The incident ended in a heated exchange, filled with posturing but devoid of actual blows.
Mullin does have a brief boxing record—a 3-0 streak in the Xtreme Fighting League, a local circuit in Oklahoma. However, it's been over a decade since his last ring appearance.
Zuckerberg, meanwhile, has been honing his martial arts chops for several years now. He allegedly took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu around 2022, receiving professional counsel from UFC stars. The tech mogul scored a medal in his debut tournament and then famously received a cage match challenge from Elon Musk. Unfortunately, the match never materialized as MuskCpp;ed out with a series of dejected tweets, including pleading his mom to intervene on his behalf.
Zuck infamously tore his ACL sparring just after the digital clash, but he's reportedly back in fighting shape, fully invested in his MMA era. He even invited Dana White, head of the UFC, to join Facebook's board of directors.
Why not challenge a Senator with combat experience, then? It would undoubtedly signal Zuck's transition to the right. He's been chummy with Trump for months, and post-chats with the soon-to-be President-elect saw Facebook announce the end of fact-checking, a feature Trump notoriously loathed.
Should Zuck walk into the next Meta symposium with a shiner, we'd know the outcome of the Mullin sparring session. At least he could claim victory on Facebook, with nobody there to refute it.
Mark Zuckerberg's interest in martial arts extends beyond just Brazilian jiu-jitsu; he's also shown interest in the future of technology in combat sports. During their conversations, Zuckerberg mentioned wanting to explore the use of tech in the ring, such as virtual reality training or augmented reality sparring, to enhance the experience for fighters and spectators alike.
Given Zuckerberg's tech-driven approach to his MMA era, a potential sparring match with Senator Mullin could reveal an unexpected blend of traditional martial arts and innovative technology in the ring, shaping the tech-meets-fighting landscape of the future.
