Mark Zuckerberg reveals it was Dana White who invited him to UFC Vegas 61

Mark Zuckerberg names Dana White as the man who invited him to be a part of UFC Vegas 61.

In a recent Instagram post, Zuckerberg said he was excited to see Mackenzie Dern at the main event and thanked White for inviting him to the event.

UFC Vegas 61 had an aura of mystery around it. Dana White and the UFC had stated that the event would be closed for MMA fans and the media alike. This sparked various speculations as to what could be the reason behind the decision.

In the lead up to the event, there were talks that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had rented out the UFC Apex Arena for fight night.

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani had talked about the possible reasons for the decision on his show.

"I was told that it had to do something with Mark Zuckerberg. Now, is he renting it out just for him?.. Are they renting it out to do something? Some sort of metaverse event?... We'll see. Maybe that's why Dana White was being coy about it. You know when he has an announcement to make, you know when he has something up his sleeve he doesn't just like to blurt it out."

Dana White denied these rumors on social media, saying Zuckerberg did not rent out the Apex Facility.

But the U.S. billionaire was seen in attendance for the UFC Vegas 61 event with his wife enjoying the fights.

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Ilir Latifi asks Mark Zuckerberg for a bonus

After an impressive performance at UFC Vegas 61, Ilir Latifi addressed Mark Zuckerberg during his post-fight octagon interview with Paul Felder. During his time on the mic, 'The Sledgehammer' asked Zuckerberg to offer him a bonus for his performance.

"I want that bonus tonight. And Mark, I know Mark from Facebook is here. You can throw in a bonus too, you know. Help us out," said Ilir Latifi.

Latifi took on Aleksei Oleinik in a heavyweight clash in the prelims of UFC Vegas 61. The fight went the full 15-minute distance and ended with a dominant decision victory for Latifi. All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of the 40-year-old.

Latifi is now on a two-fight win streak in the UFC. The fight was 'The Sledgehammer's first UFC appearance in over a year. The 40-year-old last competed against Tanner Boser in June 2021.