Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that his wife Priscilla Chan became an even stronger supporter of his martial arts journey following his ACL injury. During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Zuckerberg shared how his wife’s reaction completely surprised him when he discussed his injury with her.
“I sat down with Priscilla, and I was expecting her to say ‘You’re an idiot’,” Zuckerberg recounted. Instead, she offered enthusiastic encouragement, telling him, “When you heal your ACL, you better go back to fighting.” Her support stemmed from noticing positive changes in her husband’s demeanor since he began training, as she emphasized, “You’re so much better to be around now that you’re doing this, you have to fight.”
The ACL tear, which occurred during striking practice in July 2023, came shortly after Zuckerberg earned his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt under coach Dave Camarillo.
Despite the setback, the injury hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm for the sport. “I think tearing the ACL striking is a little more of a fluke,” he reflected, adding with humor, “I can take a few more punches to the face before we go back to that.”
The tech billionaire has found martial arts to be an invaluable outlet for managing the pressures of running one of the world’s largest technology companies.
“After a couple of hours of training MMA in the morning, nothing else that day is going to stress you out that much. You just deal with it,” he explained. “There’s no better stress reliever in the world than Jiu-Jitsu or martial arts. You leave there, and you’re the kindest person in the world. You’ve just like vented all of your aggression out of your system.”
Camarillo, who has been training Zuckerberg for about a year and a half, recently shared insights about his high-profile student on Eddie Bravo’s “Look Into It” podcast.
“He shows up like Keanu Reeves. Like, I’m here to do a job. I’m all in,” Camarillo said, describing Zuckerberg’s dedication to the sport.
The training regimen includes sessions with UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski, highlighting the seriousness of Zuckerberg’s commitment to martial arts.
Zuckerberg’s dedication to martial arts appears stronger than ever, bolstered by both his wife’s unwavering support and the mental clarity it brings to his role as a tech industry leader. His journey from tech CEO to martial arts enthusiast serves as a testament to the transformative power of combat sports, both in and out of the training room.
