Alexander Volkanovski Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski has VR sparring session with Mark Zuckerberg

By Marc Ray | Last updated 2/9/23

Virtual reality has made its way into mixed martial arts. In a recent Instagram video, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski visited the Meta headquarters where he sparred with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg with VR technology.

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A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck)

“Last year @ufc #1 pound-for-pound fighter @alexvolkanovski stopped by Meta HQ to train with me and for fun we tested the limits of our performance avatars with motion capture in our @engage gear. Good luck this weekend Alex!”

Volkanovski is slated to fight UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev this weekend in Perth, Australia at UFC 284. The 34-year-old Australian will have home-field advantage as he attempts to move up a weight class and become a double UFC champion.

Zuckerberg is a mixed martial arts practitioner and a fan of the UFC. Notably, the 38-year-old and his wife had a private viewing of UFC Vegas 61 at the UFC Apex last year. In October, the UFC announced a partnership with Zuckerberg’s company Meta with the goal of providing live MMA events in virtual reality to fans around the world.

A few days later, the UFC showcased their Meta partnership at LFA 144. Meta’s VR app allowed viewers to use the Meta Quest 2 headset and experience the fights in a 180-degree capacity.

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