When Erik Milosevich attended his first Brazilian jujitsu class, he hoped it would spark a mutual interest to share with his teenage daughter. Brazilian jujitsu offers an enticing proposition: that a smaller, weaker person can defeat a larger, stronger opponent in a fight. The sport’s popularity has surged in recent years, spurred by its effectiveness in professional mixed martial arts and frequent promotion by the likes of Joe Rogan, the podcaster and Ultimate Fighting Championship analyst. Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive, started Brazilian jujitsu as a hobby during the coronavirus pandemic and recently competed in his first tournament. Brazilian jujitsu is often billed by those who practice it as accessible, effective for self-defense, technically challenging, physically rewarding and relatively safe compared with other combat sports.

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Persons: Erik Milosevich, Jujitsu, Joe Rogan, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk Organizations: Brazilian jujitsu, Fighting