Elon Musk, the visionary entrepreneur and innovator, has once again captured the attention of the world with his latest endeavor. Elon Musk's name has become synonymous with groundbreaking ideas and ambitious projects. Whether it's his pioneering work at Tesla, his revolutionary ventures in space exploration with SpaceX, or his bold initiatives in renewable energy and neural technology, Elon Musk's relentless drive and visionary thinking continue to redefine the boundaries of possibility. With each new announcement or social media post, Elon Musk's influence reverberates across industries, inspiring a generation of dreamers and pushing the boundaries of technological advancement. Elon Musk's name has become a symbol of disruptive innovation and a driving force behind the future of technology and exploration. The world eagerly awaits his next move, knowing that when Elon Musk is involved, nothing is off the table.
Speculation turns into reality as discussions progress and plans for an event materialize in the potential clash between tech giants Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Following Elon Musk's social media challenge to Mark Zuckerberg for a "cage match" earlier this month, Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), received an unexpected text.
The message came from Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg himself, seeking clarification on Musk's serious intentions for a fight. White promptly contacted Musk, who heads Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX, and confirmed his willingness to engage in combat. White then relayed this information back to Zuckerberg, who responded by posting on Instagram with the phrase "Send Me Location," alluding to the catchphrase of Khabib Nurmagomedov, a highly acclaimed UFC athlete.
Since then, White revealed that he has been in separate nightly conversations with both tech billionaires to arrange the anticipated showdown. On Tuesday, he stated, "I was on the phone with those two until 12:45 in the morning. They both want to do it."
If you thought a cage fight between two of the world's wealthiest individuals was merely a social media gimmick, think again.
Over the past 10 days, White, Musk, and Zuckerberg, with the assistance of their advisors, have been discreetly negotiating and inching closer to actual physical combat. Although no guarantees can be made at this stage, insiders familiar with the discussions, along with White himself, confirm that the overall framework of the event is taking shape.
White mentioned that the fight would be an exhibition match, taking place outside the jurisdiction and rights deals of the official UFC. However, he would be involved in producing the event. Both tech leaders have agreed that the fight should have a charitable component, and the specific details are still being worked out. The preferred location for the event is Las Vegas, pending approval from the Nevada Athletic Commission. Elon Musk even suggested on Thursday that the event could potentially take place at the Roman Colosseum.
According to sources close to Zuckerberg, his friends and advisors have generally been supportive of the match. However, others argue that engaging in a fight would be a distraction and not the best use of his time. In Musk's case, while he is known to dislike sports and doesn't appear to maintain regular training discipline, no one can dismiss anything when it comes to him.
If the showdown between 52-year-old Musk and 39-year-old Zuckerberg moves forward, it would be an extraordinary spectacle, even within the realm of the tech industry's bravado. While past tech rivalries, such as the sniping between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, have occurred, true sporting feuds among billionaires have been scarce, mainly limited to competitive yacht racing between Larry Ellison of Oracle and Hasso Plattner of SAP.
However, the idea of two immensely wealthy tech titans grappling, punching, and kicking in a Las Vegas or Roman arena is beyond imagination.
Meta declined to comment, and Musk did not respond to requests for comment.
The relationship between Zuckerberg and Musk has always been a mix of competition, frenemies, and at times, outright enmity. Over the years, they have criticized each other on various issues, including Musk's SpaceX rockets and data privacy scandals at Meta. Most recently, Zuckerberg tasked a Meta team with developing a competitor to Musk's Twitter, known internally as Project 92.
Should their rivalry escalate beyond mere jibes, Dana White, the UFC's president, has expressed concerns about the physical disparities between the two billionaires. Apart from their 13-year age gap, Musk is rumored to be at least 70 pounds heavier than Zuckerberg. In official mixed martial arts matches, athletes are typically matched based on weight.
"We have two guys that have never professionally fought, and they're in two completely different weight classes," White remarked. Nevertheless, he added, "it will be the biggest fight in the history of combat sports."
Zuckerberg has delved deeply into the world of UFC and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a grappling martial art extensively used in UFC fights, in recent months. He has trained extensively in his garage with friends, building what he calls a "mini academy." Zuckerberg appreciates the mental focus and strategic thinking required in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to defeat an opponent, rather than relying solely on brute strength.
Zuckerberg has sought guidance from martial arts experts such as Dave Camarillo, James Terry, and Khai Wu. In May, he even competed in his first public martial arts tournament in Redwood City, California, attending incognito until the moment he revealed himself by removing his hat and sunglasses to fight. He earned gold and silver medals in the competition.
Meta also previously announced a partnership with the UFC to bring mixed martial arts fights to Horizon Worlds, its virtual reality app.
According to White, Zuckerberg is genuinely committed to the sport, stating, "I've been talking to Zuckerberg now for maybe close to two years now. And there's never like banter or we're joking and laughing. He's dead serious all the time."
Zuckerberg seems to be in fighting shape, having adhered to a strict workout routine, challenging friends and colleagues to beat his exercise times. Additionally, he recently posted a personal record for completing the demanding "Murph" challenge, which involves pull-ups, push-ups, long-distance running, and hundreds of squats, all while wearing weighted body armor.
In contrast, Musk has openly admitted that he rarely works out and once sustained a back injury requiring surgery after participating in an exhibition with a sumo wrestler. Nonetheless, Musk claimed to have trained in judo, Kyokushin, and "no rules streetfighting."
"He made that very clear: 'I'm not going to lose any weight.' 'Are we going to fight or are we not going to fight?'" White recalled Musk's stance on the potential matchup.
This week, podcaster Lex Fridman shared photos of himself training judo with Musk, although Fridman did not respond to requests for comment.
At least one person is not enthusiastic about the fight: Maye Musk, Elon Musk's mother, who recently tweeted, "Don't encourage this match!" accompanied by two frowning emojis.
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