Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Wins Gold and Silver Medals on Jiu Jitsu Debut

• Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg won gold and silver medals on his jiu-jitsu debut
• The tech billionaire competed in a tournament in Redwood City, California, last week
• Zuckerberg had revealed he began training for the sport amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Facebook and Meta founder, Mark Zuckerberg added another achievement to his long resume - gold and silver medals in jiu-jitsu.

The billionaire made his debut in the sport on Saturday, May 6, in Redwood City, California, for the Guerrilla jiu-jitsu team and posted pictures of himself on social media.

He shared the news with millions of his followers on social media, along with pictures of him posing with his coaches and grappling with opponents on the ground.

The 38-year-old tech billionaire was also spotted wearing a pair of shorts gifted to him by Australian mixed martial arts star, Alexander Volkanovski, who recently lost to Islam Mahachev in the UFC.

Ranking the 10 best attacking trios in football history

Football

Popular professional fighter and one of Zuckerberg's coaches, Khai Wu congratulated him on the win.

"Yesterday getting to see Zuck compete was pretty epic. No match was easy and everything was earned. It was an honour to be able to help coach and offer any advice I could," 'the Shadow' said, via Sky Sports.

Why did Zuckerberg join jiu-jitsu?

In 2022, during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Zuckerberg revealed he got into mixed martial arts training during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"From the very first session that I did, like five minutes in, I was like, 'Where has this been my whole life?' Alright, my mom made me do three varsity sports and my life took a wrong turn when I chose to do fencing competitively instead of wrestling in high school or something," the tech mogul said, via Bleacher Report.

Adidas athletes: A list of the most influential athletes sponsored by Adidas

Athletics

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is quickly becoming popular among celebrities. Russell Brand, popular podcaster Joe Rogan, and actor Tom Hardy have all taken up the sport.

Understanding the jiu-jitsu ranking system

Sports Brief also looked at the jiu-jitsu belt ranking system which symbolizes the student's growing expertise and skill within the sport.

There are a number of belts to be earned including white, blue, purple, brown, black, red/black, white/red, and lastly the red belt.

The 9th-degree red is the highest-ranking belt in jiu-jitsu, with holders are frequently referred to as 'grandmasters' in the discipline.