The proposed fight between X (Twitter) owner Elon Musk and Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is nearing its day, according to a post made by Musk on Friday.
The world’s richest man said contrary to some media reports, the fight will be managed by his and ‘Zuck’s foundations’, not the UFC.
Musk said that he has spoken to the PM of Italy and the Minister of Culture. “They have agreed on an epic location.” He added that the fight will be livestreamed on X (Twitter) and Meta (Facebook or Instagram).
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“Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all,” he said.
The fight will be managed by my and Zuck’s foundations (not UFC).
Livestream will be on this platform and Meta. Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all.
I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister of Culture. They have agreed on an epic location.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2023
The fight which started like a joke followed Meta’s plan to launch Threads, a text-based platform that copied Twitter. Zuckerberg said he created the copycat platform because there is a need for a bigger platform for real-time conversation.
“It will take some time, but I think there should be a public conversation app with 1 billion+ on it. Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully, we will,” he said on Threads.
In response to Threads’ launch, Twitter had in early July, threatened to sue Meta – accusing the social media behemoth of engaging in “systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.”
In June, Musk responded to a tweet about Meta’s plan to launch Threads saying: “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options.” He followed up with a tweet teasing a cage fight with Zuckerberg.
The Meta’s chief executive, posting a screenshot of Musk’s tweet overlaid in an Instagram story, fired back with the caption: “Send Me Location.”
Since then, speculations have circled the seriousness of the American tech billionaires, especially as Musk, in his usual way, has been making posts of humor about the fight.
“For fighting preparation, I’ll use technique of famous Inspector Clouseau & have Cato attack me at random moments,” he said in July.
For fighting preparation, I’ll use technique of famous Inspector Clouseau & have Cato attack me at random moments
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 14, 2023
The fight story was revitalized last week when Musk started posting about his preparatory workout.
He said last week that he’s “lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight” because he doesn’t have “time to work out, so I just bring them to work.”
Full details of the fight are yet to be announced by Musk and Zuckerberg’s foundations.
Last month, a picture of Zuckerberg training with kickboxing champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski surfaced online. Zuckerberg 39, is trained in martial arts and recently won gold and silver medals at his very first Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in Redwood City, California.
Musk 52, is taking other steps in preparation of the fight. He said Friday that he spent 3 hours in an MRI machine on Monday.
“Bottom line is that my C5/C6 fusion is solid, so not an issue,” he said.
“However, there is a problem with my right shoulder blade rubbing against my ribs, which requires minor surgery. Recovery will only take a few months,” he said.