In a twist that even Hollywood scriptwriters might dismiss as too far-fetched, a friendly rivalry between two of the world’s most influential tech entrepreneurs might take a turn for the physical. An electrifying prospect is afoot – Elon Musk versus Mark Zuckerberg in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) octagon.
If you’re already shaking your head, read on because this might not be as implausible as it sounds. “I had an hour-and-a-half-long call with both of them last night, and let me tell you, they are dead serious about this,” spilled UFC president Dana White.
A seemingly harmless Twitter squabble over Meta’s planned Twitter competitor has snowballed into a potential UFC spectacle. Musk threw down the gauntlet first, stating he was “up for a cage match” with Zuckerberg, who’s known to practice jiu-jitsu. Zuckerberg, quick on the uptake, gamely replied on his platform, asking Musk to “send me location” for their impending showdown.
While there have been a few interested third parties looking to play host, the UFC, renowned for its Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) style events, appears a natural fit for this titanic tussle.
Evidently, the idea of an MMA-style duel appeals to Musk, as he mentioned it on Thursday. White recounts that Zuckerberg was the first of the tech tycoons to reach out, questioning if Musk was actually serious about the challenge. White conveyed Zuckerberg’s inquiry to Musk, who confirmed he was, indeed, “deadly serious.”
White, ever the impartial promoter, suggested that both men would put up a considerable fight. He cites Zuckerberg’s well-documented training regimen and Musk’s account of his scrappy upbringing in South Africa, insisting that “people might not think this of me, but I’ve been in plenty of fights growing up.”
Interestingly, sportsbooks have already released a few hypothetical betting lines, regarding the match-up as a neck-and-neck race.
Yet, if this bout actually happens, the real victor might be Dana White himself: “This would be the biggest fight ever, in the history of the world,” he quipped. “It would break all pay-per-view records.”
In fact, White is suggesting that the fight could be watched on pay-per-view for around $100, raising “hundreds of millions of dollars” for charity in the process.
Representatives for UFC, Zuckerberg, and Musk have yet to comment on these rumblings. But whether it’s just playful posturing or an actual showdown on the horizon, this saga is proving to be quite the spectacle. In a world where the lines between tech and entertainment continue to blur, one can only imagine what might come next. Stay tuned!