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Meta’s Zuckerberg ‘not holding breath’ over Musk cage fight

Mark Zuckerberg during martial arts training.
Mark Zuckerberg training with UFC champions Israel Adesanya (left) and Alexander Volkanovski (right). Meta/Mark Zuckerberg

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Sunday that he’s not holding his breath over the proposed cage fight with Elon Musk, who runs SpaceX and Tesla, and also owns Twitter (now called X).

The idea for a physical fight between the two high-profile tech billionaires came from Musk in June when he tweeted: “I’m up for a cage fight if he is lol.”

Zuckerberg, who is an enthusiastic mixed martial arts fighter who takes his training very seriously, responded, saying, “Send me location,” with Musk suggesting the Vegas Octagon in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Things went a bit quiet after that, with both protagonists seemingly preferring to trade blows via posts on social media, including on Threads, Meta’s recently launched platform that seeks to take on Musk’s X.

This weekend, however, plans for the bout have ramped up and it’s beginning to look like it really could happen.

Musk tweeted that the fight will be live-streamed on X, adding that all proceeds will go to a charity for veterans. Zuckerberg, posting on his own Threads platform alongside a screenshot of Musk’s tweet, responded: “Shouldn’t we use a more reliable platform that can actually raise money for charity?” — a hint that other Meta platforms such as Facebook or Instagram might be better suited to streaming the clash than X, which suffered technical difficulties when it tried to launch Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign during a live Spaces event in May.

Musk also tweeted that he’s “lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight,” and even posted a video showing him “curling a 45” pound dumbbell.

Zuckerberg said he suggested Saturday, August 26 for the battle, adding that he’s waiting for Musk to confirm.

With his martial arts experience, many expect Zuckerberg to win the fight — if it does take place. However, Musk is taller and heavier, and has already suggested that he could deploy “this great move that I call ‘The Walrus’, where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing.”

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