Discussions regarding a matchup between the two tech titans have advanced, and the event’s parameters are taking shape.
The day after Elon Musk challenged Mark Zuckerberg to “a cage match” on social media this month, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Dana White, received a text message.
It was from Meta’s principal executive, Mr. Zuckerberg. He asked Mr. White, the leader of the world’s foremost cage-based mixed martial arts competition, if Mr. Musk was serious about a fight.
Mr. White verified to Mr. Musk, who controls Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX, that he was willing to engage in combat. Mr. White relayed this information to Mr. Zuckerberg. Mr. Zuckerberg responded by posting on Instagram, “Send Me Location,” a reference to the catchphrase of one of the UFC’s most decorated athletes, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Since then, Mr. White stated that he has had separate conversations with the tech billionaires every night to coordinate the confrontation. On Tuesday, he reported being “on the phone with those two until 12:45 a.m.” He added, “They both want to do it.”
Consider again the notion that a cage match between two of the world’s wealthiest men was merely a social media spectacle.
Over the past ten days, Mr. White stated that he, Mr. Musk, and Mr. Zuckerberg have been negotiating behind the scenes and are inching closer to a physical confrontation. While there are no guarantees that a match will occur, the broad contours of an event are taking shape, according to Mr. White and three individuals familiar with the discussions.
Mr. White stated that the fight would be an exhibition match outside of official UFC jurisdiction and rights agreements, though he would help produce the event. The tech luminaries have agreed that there should be a charitable component, according to Mr. White and a source familiar with the discussions, although the specifics are still being worked out. Las Vegas is the favored location, pending sanction from the Nevada Athletic Commission. Mr. Musk tweeted on Thursday that the event could also take place in the Roman Colosseum.
The majority of Mr. Zuckerberg’s friends and advisors support the fight, according to two people close to him, while others say a conflict would be a distraction and not the best use of his time. According to a source close to Mr. Musk, even though he disliked sports and lacked the discipline to train routinely, nothing was impossible for him.
If the matchup between Mr. Musk, 52, and Mr. Zuckerberg, 39, occurs, it will be a rare event, even in the tech industry’s universe of bravado. Before this, the closest the tech industry came to genuine sporting rivalries was between billionaire yachtsmen such as Larry Ellison of Oracle and Hasso Plattner of SAP. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates used to trade barbs, but this is the first time the tech industry has witnessed a genuine sporting rivalry.
But two extraordinarily affluent tech titans grappling, punching, and stomping in a Las Vegas or ancient Roman arena? Nobody could have imagined it.
Meta declined to comment. Mr. Musk declined to comment in response to a request.
Mr. Zuckerberg and Mr. Musk have vacillated between being competitors, frenemies, and straightforward enemies for quite some time. Over the years, the two have criticized each other regarding Mr. Musk’s SpaceX missiles, data privacy scandals at Meta, and more. Recently, Mr. Zuckerberg dispatched a team at Meta to develop Project 92, a competitor to Mr. Musk’s Twitter.
Mr. White of the U.F.C. expressed concern regarding the billionaires’ physical disparities if their rivalry escalates beyond these jibes. In addition to their 13-year age gap, Mr. Musk is reportedly 70 pounds heavier than Mr. Zuckerberg. In mixed martial arts competitions, athletes are typically matched by weight.
Mr. White stated, “We have two fighters who have never competed professionally and who are in completely different weight classes.” Nevertheless, he asserted, “it will be the biggest fight in the history of combat sports.”
Mr. Zuckerberg is particularly familiar with the UFC community. In the past 18 months, he has undertaken on a personal voyage to bulk up and has immersed himself in Brazilian jujitsu, a grappling martial art in which competitors attempt to submit their opponent and which is used in UFC combat.
In 2021, Mr. Zuckerberg began training on a whim primarily in his garage, where he built a “mini academy” with a group of sparring acquaintances. He appreciated that Brazilian jujitsu required “one hundred percent concentration” and strategic thought rather than brute force to defeat an opponent.
Mr. Zuckerberg has sought out experts in martial arts, such as Dave Camarillo, James Terry, and Khai Wu. In May, he competed in his first public martial arts tournament in Redwood City, California, attending incognito until it was time to fight. He received gold and silver medals in the competition.
Last year, Meta also announced a partnership with the UFC to introduce mixed martial arts contests to its virtual reality app, Horizon Worlds.
Mr. White stated that Mr. Zuckerberg’s commitment to the sport was genuine.
He stated, “I’ve been conversing with Zuckerberg for close to two years.” And we never engage in dialogue or joke around and giggle. He stated that Meta’s chief executive was always “dead serious.”
Mr. Zuckerberg is presumably in top physical condition. According to two individuals close to him, he has been following a rigorous exercise regimen, going for runs and challenging friends and coworkers to surpass his times. This month, he set a personal record for completing the “Murph” challenge, which requires performing pull-ups, push-ups, multiple miles of sprinting, and hundreds of squats while donning weighted, military-grade body armor.
In a recent podcast episode, he stated, “Doing sports that essentially require your full attention is very important to my mental health and helps me stay focused on everything I’m doing.”
Mr. Musk, on the other hand, has tweeted that he “almost never” exercises and that he once required back surgery after participating in a sumo wrestling exhibition. This month, he stated that he had studied “judo, Kyokushin (full contact)” — two Japanese martial arts — as well as “no rules streetfighting.”
Mr. White said of Mr. Musk’s approach to the prospective matchup, “He made it abundantly clear: ‘I’m not going to lose weight.'” “‘Are we going to fight or not fight?'” Mr. White said Mr. Musk told him.
This week, podcaster Lex Fridman posted photographs of himself practising judo with Elon Musk. Mr. Fridman, who has also trained jujitsu with Mr. Zuckerberg, declined to comment when asked.
Maye Musk, Mr. Musk’s mother, does not appear to be a devotee of physical conflict.
She recently tweeted, “Don’t encourage this match!” with two scowl emoticons.
