Mark Zuckerberg dismisses Elon Musk’s claim that a proposed Rome MMA fight has been finalized: ‘If he agrees on a date, you’ll hear from me’
- Earlier in the day, Musk announced an agreement on a fight at the Colosseum
- But Zuckerberg says nothing has been agreed between them yet
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Mark Zuckerberg has downplayed suggestions that his rumored cage fight with Elon Musk is about to be arranged.
The Meta owner said on his social media platform, Threads, that none of Mr Musk’s purported plans had been agreed upon and that he “didn’t hold my breath.”
Musk, owner of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, previously seemed to suggest that the fight would take place in an “epic location” in Italy.
He outlined streaming options and an old setting for the proposed event and claimed to have spoken with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The rival tech bosses seemed to have agreed on a brawl in June when Musk tweeted that he was “in for a cage fight” with Mr. Zuckerberg, who asked him to “send me location.”
Mark Zuckerberg Says Elon Musk’s Claims About A Colosseum Superfight Are Not Confirmed
Musk said Italian prime minister and his culture minister agreed to an ‘epic location’
In a post on Threads, Zuckerberg advised people to “assume anything (Elon) says isn’t agreed upon” as the two billionaires try to settle the finer details before the fight.
In a post to X on Friday, Mr Musk said: ‘The fight will be managed by my and Zuck’s (not UFC) foundations. Live stream will be on this platform and Meta.
“Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all.
“I have spoken with the Prime Minister of Italy and the Minister of Culture. They’ve agreed on an epic location.’
Musk added that the event would “show respect for Italy’s past and present,” and that “all proceeds would go to veterans.”
In response to the claims, Mr. Zuckerberg said on Threads, “I love this sport and I’ve been ready to fight since the day Elon challenged me.
“If he ever agrees on an actual date, you’ll hear from me. Until then, assume that everything he says is not agreed upon.
“I’m not holding my breath for Elon, but I’ll share details about my next fight when I’m ready.
“When I compete, I want to do it in a way that puts the spotlight on the top athletes.
In a side-by-side comparison, Musk has a size advantage, but is 11 years older than Zuckerberg
Musk has been training with UFC legend Georges St Pierre (red shorts) for the past few weeks.
Zuckerberg trains with UFC stars Israel Adesanya (L) and Alexander Volkanovski (R)
“You do that by working with professional organizations like the UFC or ONE to get this right and make a great card.”
Tensions between the companies of the two tech billionaires escalated after the launch of Threads, a text-based conversation app, by Meta in July.
Twitter sent a strike letter to Mr. Zuckerberg after the launch, alleging that Meta had made “unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.”
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson weighed in on the potential fight, claiming he would support Musk to win and suggesting it would be “bigger than the Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974.
In his Daily Mail column, referring to an ancient Greek sport, he added: “By the way, if the Musk-Zuckerberg fight goes on, I’ll challenge the winner to a Cumberland wrestling pankration. And as prize money, I propose that the victor gets half of the other’s annual income.’