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‘Rented Out Whole Event’- Almost a Year Ago, Mackenzie Dern’s Claims on Mark Zuckerberg Had UFC CEO Dana White Exclaiming “Total Bulls**t”

Published 11/10/2023, 10:02 AM EST

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Almost every UFC fan knows about the link between the famous ‘Meta’ CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and the UFC. They may also know how the noted UFC featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, once visited the Meta headquarters. But that is far from being the only connection between the ‘Meta’ CEO and the UFC. In October 2022, ‘Zuck’s’ visit to the UFC Apex made massive headlines, although he had intended to keep it out of the news.

The renowned UFC strawweight, Mackenzie Dern, became the culprit behind publicizing this news. In her pre-UFC Vegas 61 press conference, Dern talked to the media, where she spilled the beans about ‘Zuck’s’ UFC visit. The subsequent days saw the UFC CEO, Dana White, trying to debunk Dern’s words about the Meta CEO. But it was ultimately of no use. But what caused Zuckerberg to visit the UFC Apex? Let’s have a look.

Mackenzie Dern provided hints about Mark Zuckerberg’s purpose of visiting the UFC Apex

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The Brazilian-American probably wasn’t informed about keeping ‘Zuck’s’ visit a secret. During a question about the fight night she stated, “I mean, I know Mark Zuckerberg like rented out the whole event, you know, so I know he’ll be there. She further revealed her expectations, stating, “I don’t know if it’s just like literally him and his wife or if he’s gonna have friends or it will be like a small party, I don’t know”.

The fans who paid keen attention to Dern’s words may have realized Zuckerberg’s purpose for visiting the UFC Apex. Her words, “rented out the whole event” may have been enough for most fans to realize that ‘Zuck’s’ UFC visit is also related to business.

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But these exact words didn’t sit well with the UFC CEO. White must have known that Zuckerberg would be visiting the UFC Apex for the UFC Vegas 61. Hence, he couldn’t say that Dern’s words were completely incorrect. But he possibly tried to create a narrative about the entire thing being false from the same portion of Dern’s words.

The famed UFC play-by-play commentator, Jon Anik, also joined the UFC head honcho, supporting his narrative. However, he was softer with his choice of words. But the million-dollar question remains unanswered. What exactly did ‘Zuck’ visit the UFC Vegas 61 for?

Mark Zuckerberg was all business even with his UFC Vegas 61 visit

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The fans who predicted the ‘Meta’ CEO’s visit to the UFC was for business purposes were absolutely right. But, it’s a known fact that ‘Zuck’ is thoroughly interested and also trains in martial arts. Hence, his visit to the UFC Apex may be taken as a dual-purpose one. One that served his business deal, along with his catering to his interest.

Multiple sources later revealed that Zuckerberg’s UFC visit was to announce a new partnership between them. ‘Zuck’ had partnered with Dana White and Co.’s subscription-based fight viewing platform, UFC Fight Pass, to provide Meta users with a live MMA fight viewing experience in VR.

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Reports also said that the users of Meta’s Oculus devices like the ‘Meta Quest 2’ VR headset and ‘Xtadium’ will enjoy the service through Meta’s Horizon Worlds app. If you are a user of ‘Meta Quest 2’ or ‘Xtadium’ only then you will surely realize the worth of ‘Zuck’s’ visit to the UFC Apex on the night of UFC Vegas 61.

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Written by:

Souvik Roy

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One take at a time

The coveted scrap between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was when I realized the passion for combat sports within my family. My interest in combat sports began watching scripted pro wrestling shows. It was my father who directed me towards combat sports and it wasn’t until the late 2010s that I discovered the world of MMA and the UFC.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar Das