Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently participated in a mixed martial arts sparring session with former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili on a barge in Lake Tahoe. Viral footage shared by Zuckerberg on a Sunday afternoon showed the two exchanging blows while on the water.
Dvalishvili, who is the number one contender in the bantamweight division, appeared to be holding back during the exhibition. Zuckerberg, known for his training with elite MMA fighters, showcased some striking and wrestling skills, including throwing Dvalishvili off the barge into the lake. This marks the second time the pair have sparred, with a previous session occurring in December 2025.
The sparring event occurred as Zuckerberg's representatives addressed allegations that his $300 million yacht, The Launchpad, failed to respond to a distress call from a smaller vessel in Alaskan waters on August 3. A 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel between Juneau and Petersburg and was eventually rescued by a cruise ship, The Wilderness Legacy.
According to reports, the skiff initially contacted the Coast Guard, which determined the situation was not a distress emergency and issued a marine assistance broadcast. The captain of The Wilderness Legacy announced that Zuckerberg's yacht, which was closer to the stranded skiff, had repeatedly failed to respond to calls for assistance, a claim that reportedly elicited booing from passengers on the cruise ship.
Brian Baker, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg, stated that The Launchpad was operating on a different radio channel when the assistance request was made. By the time the yacht's crew reviewed the broadcast, another vessel was already responding to the call, Baker added.
Michael Love, a passenger on The Wilderness Legacy, noted that the yacht's representatives did not dispute the story but claimed they never received the call, rather than intentionally ignoring it. He also questioned why the yacht stopped at the time it did.
U.S. regulations require mariners to assist a vessel only when it is in danger of being lost. As the Coast Guard had assessed the situation as not a distress emergency, this appears to align with The Launchpad's position, according to reports.