Mark Zuckerberg sparred on a barge in Lake Tahoe

Mark Zuckerberg shared another public MMA training session with Merab Dvalishvili, this time on a floating barge on Lake Tahoe. Footage from Aug. 9 shows Zuckerberg wearing gloves and shin guards as he worked through controlled exchanges with the former UFC bantamweight champion. The setting was unusual, but the material presented the session as training rather than an actual fight. Dvalishvili and Zuckerberg moved through punches, kicks, clinches and takedowns before the round concluded with both men entering the water.

The video was posted as a collaboration between Zuckerberg and Dvalishvili, with the caption: “Back on the barge with @merab.dvalishvili. Round 2.” Zuckerberg said Dvalishvili had him remove his shirt so that he would look more like a fighter. Priscilla Chan, Zuckerberg’s wife, also appeared during the session, paddling past the barge in a kayak. Those details give the footage a playful setting, while the actual drills still showed the structure of a sparring round: distance work first, then closer exchanges when Dvalishvili engaged in the clinch.

Zuckerberg works through controlled exchanges

Zuckerberg was given room to throw strikes and make entries, but the footage did not frame the action as a competitive contest. Dvalishvili controlled the intensity and kept the pace moving as the pair transitioned from striking into wrestling situations. When Dvalishvili closed the distance, his experience in the grappling exchanges became clear. At one point, he lifted Zuckerberg and ran him toward the edge of the platform before both men ended up in Lake Tahoe.

That sequence is the central sporting point of the release. A floating barge created a memorable backdrop, yet the work itself followed familiar MMA training patterns: controlled striking, clinch contact and takedown situations. Zuckerberg was participating in those phases rather than merely posing beside a fighter, while Dvalishvili remained the experienced training partner directing the rhythm. The water ending also reinforced the light tone of the video, without changing the fact that it documented sparring between Zuckerberg and a former UFC champion. The session is their first filmed workout on the water.

A second public session in eight months

The Lake Tahoe video was not Zuckerberg and Dvalishvili’s first public training release. In December 2025, they completed three rounds in a gym while former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling oversaw the work. That 11-minute video included striking and grappling, a Zuckerberg takedown and Dvalishvili answering with his own wrestling. The Tahoe release is their second public sparring video in eight months, but it is the first to place the session on the water. Dvalishvili brought extensive UFC experience to both sessions. His professional record stands at 21-5, and he landed 119 UFC takedowns while recording 12 unanimous-decision wins in the promotion. He won the bantamweight title from Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision at UFC 306 in September 2024, then made three successful defenses in 2025 before Petr Yan ended his reign by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on Dec. 6. The source material identifies the Lake Tahoe footage as featuring the former champion, and that background helps explain why the wrestling moments became the clearest technical divide in the session. Zuckerberg’s involvement also fits a longer training timeline. He began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA during the pandemic, then entered his first jiu-jitsu tournament in May 2023, where he won gold and silver medals. Six months later, he tore an ACL while sparring for a planned competitive MMA bout and underwent surgery. His subsequent training has included sessions with UFC champions and contenders, including Alexander Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira and Dvalishvili. In June, Zuckerberg said he still wanted to compete in a UFC or MMA setting.

• The Lake Tahoe footage shows Zuckerberg in gloves and shin guards, working through striking, clinch and takedown exchanges with Dvalishvili.
• The barge session ends with Zuckerberg and Dvalishvili in the water after Dvalishvili lifts Zuckerberg and runs him toward the platform’s edge.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Lake Tahoe session with Dvalishvili adds a distinct setting to a training partnership that has already produced a prior public gym video. The release does not present a fight result or a competitive matchup. Instead, it shows Zuckerberg continuing to train through recognizable MMA phases while Dvalishvili supplies the pressure, wrestling experience and control that shaped the round.

Sources: Sherdog; MiddleEasy