Musk Says Proposed Zuckerberg Cage Fight to be Held at ‘Epic Location’ in Italy – Elon Musk is currently in discussions with the Italian government regarding the possibility of hosting his proposed one-on-one fight with Mark Zuckerberg. They are considering a historic location within Italy for this event, although the Colosseum has already been ruled out as a potential venue.
The founder of X Corp, Elon Musk, and the CEO of Meta, the company that owns Facebook, initially introduced the concept of a personal combat encounter through posts on their respective social media accounts in June. This proposition emerged as Mark Zuckerberg was gearing up to introduce Threads, a competing microblogging platform, which coincided with Musk’s rebranded version of his Twitter platform.
Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s Minister of Culture, has shared that he is engaged in conversations about arranging the fight while being mindful of the historical significance of the potential venues. However, it has been clarified that the fight will not take place in Rome.
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“I had a long and friendly phone conversation with Elon Musk,” he said. “We talked about the common passion for the history of ancient Rome. We are discussing how to organise a great charity and historical evocation event, in full respect of the sites. It will not be held in Rome.”
Zuckerberg responded 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 it from me. Until then, please assume anything he says has not been agreed on.”
During this week, Dana White, the president of the cage-fighting promotion organization known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, revealed that he had engaged in discussions with the culture ministry regarding the possibility of organizing the billionaire showdown between the two in the iconic Colosseum.
Musk added to the speculation on Friday when he posted on Twitter, now renamed as X, that the fight would be livestreamed on his and Zuckerberg’s social media networks, saying: “Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all.”
He said he had spoken to the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the culture minister and had “agreed on an epic location”. Earlier on Friday, Musk had posted the word “gladiators” next to two crossed-sword emojis.
However, Sangiuliano subsequently released a statement dismissing the possibility of the fight taking place in Rome. Across Italy, from its northern regions to the southern parts, there are numerous ancient Roman and Greek sites of historical significance.
These include landmarks such as the Capua amphitheatre and the remains of the city of Pompeii, which suffered a catastrophic event, situated near Naples. Additionally, there are the ancient Greek temples located in Agrigento, Sicily, and the arena in Verona, which was constructed in AD 30 and continues to host opera performances, concerts, and various other events.
Elon Musk conveyed on X that the management of the fight would be overseen through charitable donations from both him and Zuckerberg, rather than being under the purview of UFC. Furthermore, he mentioned that all proceeds generated from the event would be directed towards charitable organizations supporting military veterans.
In response, Sangiuliano affirmed in his statement that any potential arrangement for the fight’s location would involve a substantial donation amounting to “several million euros” directed towards two Italian pediatric hospitals. However, Musk also indicated that any fight was not imminent.
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He posted on X that he had a shoulder problem requiring minor surgery with a recovery period of “a few months.” Zuckerberg wrote on Sunday that he was he was “not holding his breath” over the mooted fight, as he revealed that he had suggested a date of 26 August for the contest. That now seems unlikely given Musk’s post about surgery.
The chief executive of X, Linda Yaccarino, also questioned the seriousness of Musk and Zuckerberg’s plans, saying this week that talk of a bout “may be a humorous back and forth between Zuck and Musk.” She also jokingly described the fight as a “great brand sponsorship opportunity.”