Australian martial arts legend Craig Jones has teamed up with Meta billionaire Mark Zuckerberg for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu training session – but not everyone is a fan of the move.

Jones, one of the most popular grapplers on the planet and the co-founder of the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI), is no stranger to the spotlight.

He’s gained notoriety for his exceptional skills, larger-than-life personality as well as being the grappling coach of former UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Zuckerberg’s interest in combat sports has been well-documented in recent years, with speculation in 2023 that he might potentially square off with Elon Musk in a organised billionaire bout.

On Tuesday, Jones posted photos to social media of his training session with the tech mogul, writing: ‘Thanks @zuck for always having my back’.

However, the response to the post from Jones’ followers has been far from enthusiastic.

Aussie grappler Craig Jones has teamed up with Meta billionaire Mark Zuckerberg for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu training session

The Meta CEO is a huge fan of martial arts and trains as often as he gets the chance

‘This is the worst content you have ever put out,’ replied one user.

‘First Craig L,’ replied another.

‘G***est thing you’ve ever posted,’ said a third.

Other fans congratulated Jones on the move, hinting that it might have been lucrative for the Aussie blackbelt.

‘The payment must’ve been heavy,’ posted one user.

‘Craig is now a millionaire off that private,’ said another.

In 2024, Zuckerberg’s passion for MMA lead to Meta investors being warned that it could negatively affect the business.

The billionaire suffered a nasty injury in training, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, putting the Musk fight speculation on the backburner for a while.

The fit tech mogul was slated to fight fellow billionaire Elon Musk in 2023

Mark Zuckerberg has trained with UFC champions Israel Adesanya (L) & Alex Volkanovski

Zuckerberg (seen competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu) was promoted to bluebelt in 2023

Zuckerberg is a fan of the UFC and can sometimes be seen cageside at events

And it had another impact too, giving Meta a reason to worry about the CEO.

‘We currently depend on the continued services and performance of our key personnel, including Mark Zuckerberg,’ Meta wrote in an update sent to investors.

‘Mr. Zuckerberg and certain other members of management participate in various high-risk activities, such as combat sports, extreme sports, and recreational aviation, which carry the risk of serious injury and death.

‘If Mr. Zuckerberg were to become unavailable for any reason, there could be a material adverse impact on our operations.’

Zuckerberg himself took the update in jest, replying with a GIF of Alexander Volkanovski, UFC featherweight champion, saying ‘high risk = high reward’.

There’s been plenty of encouragement from the big names in MMA, applauding Zuckerberg’s interest in the sport over the past couple of years.

UFC icon Conor McGregor tweeted: ‘Yo!! F*****g awesome, Mark,’ when he won gold and silver medals at the first jiu-jitsu competition he competed in.

He has moved up to blue belt and will no doubt have the long term aim of achieving a black belt eventually, although that takes years of dedicated practice.

Zuckerberg is far from the only A-list celebrity to hit the BJJ mats, with Tom Hardy, Ashton Kutcher, Russell Brand and Jason Statham also practitioners.

Though injuries regularly occur, death is incredibly rare, especially in controlled environments with experienced coaches so Meta investors should be able to sleep easily.