Alexander Volkanovski’s impending title bout at UFC 284 is coming up, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently wished him luck by posting an intriguing image of the two men sparring in the “metaverse” while using virtual reality (VR) technologies to their advantage.
This weekend in Perth, Volkanovski will meet Islam Makhachev in the main event of one of the most eagerly awaited pay-per-view events of 2023. Whoever wins their fight will be awarded the lightweight title and the honour of being crowned the pound-for-pound king.
Using motion capture suits and other VR equipment, the powerful CEO can be seen sparring with Alexander Volkanovski in a video that ESPN MMA uploaded. The amazing footage showed the two guys practising punches and kicks, with Mark Zuckerberg trying to do a flying knee.
Their body movements was converted into an accurate animation of themselves battling in a lifelike virtual environment.
Alexander Volkanovski on his friendship with Mark Zuckerberg
Given their close friendship, Alexander Volkanovski and Mark Zuckerberg duelling shouldn’t come as a surprise. The CEO of Meta Platforms is a devoted enthusiast of mixed martial arts and is well-known for closely following the UFC. At UFC Vegas 61, he was last saw sitting cage-side with a companion.
Even Zuckerberg has taken up jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, and he frequently posts videos of his workouts on social media.
Before UFC 280 last year, Alexander Volkanovski spoke with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour and described how he met the 38-year-old software tycoon.
After the Max Holloway fight, when he learned that I had broken my hand, we kind of got to chatting. We were just discussing mindset, so in a way, that’s where it started. After that, we made up lost time. He’s a great guy. I do think of him as my mate. We get along since he’s a cool guy. Actually, I’m just now getting around to him this year. But cool dude, yes. He is knowledgeable.
At UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski will face Islam Makhachev as the underdog in the betting. The co-main event will feature a unique champion against. champion bout between featherweights Josh Emmett and Yair Rodriguez.
Jack Della Maddalena and Randy Brown will square off in a welterweight matchup elsewhere on the Australian bill. In a heavyweight match, Justin Tafa will face Parker Porter, and Jimmy Crute will square off against Alonzo Menifield.
