Mark Zuckerberg undergoes surgery to replace ACL torn during MMA fight training: 'Still looking forward to doing it after I recover'
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had surgery to replace a torn ACL on Friday, an injury sustained while training for a mixed-martial arts fight, according to the Meta CEO’s post on Instagram.
“Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me,” he posted, next to a picture of himself with his left leg suspended in a medical device and a fist raised.
Zuckerberg suffered the injury while sparring, part of his training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, he wrote, adding, “now that’s delayed a bit.”
“Still looking forward to doing it after I recover,” he wrote. “Thanks to everyone for their love and support.”
Zuckerberg has been practicing martial arts since 2020, Fortune previously reported, and won gold and silver medals at his first Brazilian jujitsu competition in May.
What is a torn ACL?
ACL is short for anterior cruciate ligament, a strong band of tissue that helps connect the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). Such injuries usually occur during sports that involve “sudden stops or changes in direction, jumping, and landing—such as soccer, basketball, football, and downhill skiing,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
Such an injury is often accompanied by the sound or feeling of a pop in the knee, the Mayo Clinic reports. After that, the knee may swell and feel painful and/or unstable.
Treatment could involve anything from rest and physical therapy to surgery to replace the torn ligament, followed by physical therapy. Training programs exist to help reduce the risk of an ACL injury.
An eventual Zuckerberg-Musk match?
No word yet on whether a much-anticipated fight between 39-year-old Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, 52, will ever come to fruition—and if so, when.
In June, Musk—posting on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter—challenged Zuckerberg to a cage fight. Hours later, Zuckerberg responded on his social media platform Instagram with the words “send me the location.”
In August, Musk, posting to X, said he was physically preparing for the event, which he labeled a “civilized form of war.”
“Am lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight,” he posted. “Don’t have time to work out, so I just bring them to work.”
Am lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight.
Don’t have time to work out, so I just bring them to work.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2023
He then said he was getting an MRI of his neck and upper back and “may require surgery before the fight can happen.”
Ultimately, after ample back and forth, but no fighting, Zuckerberg declared that “it’s time to move on” and that “Elon isn’t serious.”
Zuckerberg’s fitness journey
In August, Zuckerberg revealed that he had installed a fighting cage in the backyard of the home he shares with his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, to aid in his fitness transformation, Fortune previously reported.
The tech mogul took up Brazilian jujitsu during the pandemic and participated in the Murph Challenge on Memorial Day of this year, named after a Navy SEAL who was killed in action in Afghanistan. Workouts for the challenge entailed wearing a 20-pound weighted vest and completing 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and a mile-long run.