Mark Zuckerberg Greets UFC 320 Winner Daniel Santos Cageside Months After Meta Deepened UFC Partnership To Bring AI To The Octagon

Benzinga
2025.10.06 09:07
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Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., attended UFC 320 to congratulate Daniel Santos on his knockout victory. This event follows Meta's recent partnership with the UFC to integrate AI technology into mixed martial arts. The deal aims to enhance fan engagement through AI and augmented reality. Zuckerberg, who trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has expressed his passion for martial arts and its impact on his leadership skills. Despite a positive long-term price trend for Meta, short and medium-term trends are negative according to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.

On Saturday, Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance at UFC 320, congratulating Daniel Santos after his knockout victory — just months after Meta and the UFC struck a deal to integrate advanced AI technology into mixed martial arts events.

Zuckerberg Cheers On UFC 320 Knockout Win

Santos (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) stunned fans at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena when he delivered a leaping left-hand knockout against Joosang Yoo (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) just 21 seconds into Round 2 of their catchweight bout.

The victory marked Yoo's first professional loss.

As Santos celebrated, Zuckerberg was spotted cageside, greeting the Brazilian fighter moments after the win.

Meta's Deepening Partnership With UFC

In April 2025, the Ultimate Fighting Championship — a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE:TKO) — announced a multi-year partnership with Meta aimed at transforming fan engagement through AI and augmented reality.

Meta became the UFC's Official AI Glasses Partner, with President Dana White promising fans a tech-driven experience unlike anything before.

Zuckerberg's Passion For Martial Arts

Zuckerberg's growing presence in the UFC scene follows his well-documented passion for martial arts. The Meta CEO trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has even won gold and silver medals in competition.

He previously credited the discipline for improving his leadership skills and resilience, saying in 2023 that learning to embrace embarrassment has helped him evolve personally and professionally.

In 2023, Zuckerberg reportedly declined Tesla CEO Elon Musk's proposal for a cage match, writing, "It's evident that Elon's intentions are not earnest, and it's best to discontinue this endeavor."

Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that Meta exhibits a positive long-term price trend, while showing negative trends in the short and medium terms. Click here for a detailed view of the stock and its performance relative to peers and competitors.

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