Mark Zuckerberg undergoes knee surgery after the Meta CEO got hurt during martial arts training

Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Georgetown University, on Oct. 17, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

LOS ANGELES — Mark Zuckerberg's latest martial arts sparring session sent him to the operating table.

The Meta Platforms CEO and mixed martial arts enthusiast posted on social media Friday that he tore one of his anterior cruciate ligaments, or ACLs, while training for a fight early next year.

A photo he posted on Instagram shows the tech billionaire lying in a hospital bed with his left knee elevated, bandaged and fit with a brace.

"Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it," Zuckerberg posted on Instagram. "Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that's delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover. Thanks to everyone for the love and support."

Menlo Park, Calif.-based Meta did not immediately return an email seeking comment Saturday.

Zuckerberg, who in May completed his first jiu jitsu tournament, has previously posted updates on his martial arts training. A few weeks ago, he shared a close-up photo of his face on Instagram showing bruising on the bridge of his nose and under his eyes, which he attributed to sparring that got "a little out of hand."

The Facebook founder and Elon Musk grabbed headlines this summer after the two tech moguls seemingly agreed to an in-person face-off in late June.

Musk and Zuckerberg fuelled interest in the potential match through online jabs at one another, with Musk at one point touting how he was training by lifting weights. But in August, the Tesla CEO posted on social media that he might need surgery before the fight could happen.

Shortly after, Zuckerberg posted on the Threads social media app that he was ready to move on, writing: "If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. I'm going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously."