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

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.

See Also: Trump Admin’s Intel Stake Could Create ‘Unintended Inefficiencies’ In Global Chip Industry, Warns Fitch

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.

Read Next: 

• Geoffrey Hinton Says Be A ‘Plumber' If You Want To Have A Safe Job, ‘Godfather Of AI' Says Everyone Doing ‘Mundane Intellectual Labor' Will Be Replaced

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Frederic Legrand – COMEO / Shutterstock.com