Elon Musk just doesn’t know when to quit.
Earlier this year, the Tesla Motors CEO was thrust into the MMA limelight after a spat on X (formerly Twitter) with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg resulted in the pair mutually accepting a challenge to fight each other in mixed martial arts. The exchange went largely unnoticed until UFC CEO Dana White injected himself into the conversation in hopes of promoting the fight under his Las Vegas-based banner.
From there, the idea of Musk vs. Zuckerberg took on a life of its own. So much so that even the Colosseum (yes, that Colosseum) was chomping at the bit to host the spectacle.
“I was posting all these fight videos and someone said on Twitter time, ‘Hey, you should fight Zuck.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m willing to fight if he is,’ and then Zuck posted, I think on Instagram or something, ‘Name the place,’ or something, something to that effect. I said, ‘Okay, how about the Vegas octagon,’” Musk said while explaining how it all got started during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.
“Italy actually was willing to let us use the Colosseum,” Musk told Rogan. “I was like, ‘Well, can’t turn that down.’ Then I was like, ‘Well if it’s going to be in the Colosseum,’ I like UFC and everything, but we don’t have tons of ads in UFC branding on the Coliseum ’cause it’s a place of great history. You don’t want to have it be all like NASCAR. And then Zuck pulled out.”
Elon Musk Will Fight Mark Zuckerberg ‘Under Any Rules’
In the end, the bout fell apart because the billionaires couldn’t agree on how the fight should be promoted. Musk was adamant that the bout be held inside the iconic amphitheater and streamed exclusively on their respective platforms. Zuckerberg, on the other hand, wanted to co-promote the event with the UFC, allowing other fighters to round out the card and bring some attention to the sport he genuinely loves.
For better or for worse, Zuckerberg decided to walk away from the situation, though it’s clear that Elon Musk still hasn’t let go.
“I don’t need any time,” Musk said of his preparation. “I’m willing to do it anytime, anywhere, any place in the world,” Musk added. “Zuck pulled out, he used the pull-out method… He accused me of not being serious. I said, ‘Listen, at the end of the day, I’ll fight you any place, anywhere, under any rules.’”