Topline
Billionaire tech executives Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk first suggested last month they’d be interested in clashing in a UFC-style cage fight—a seemingly absurd idea that’s largely been laughed off as meaningless banter—but escalating tensions between the two and photos of them training with some of the world’s top fighters has signaled a billionaire brawl could actually become a reality.
Key Facts
The idea of a cage match was first posed by Musk over Twitter, where the Tesla CEO responded to a thread about Instagram’s then-upcoming rival app Threads, saying, “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.”
Zuckerberg responded the next day with an Instagram story showing a screenshot of Musk’s tweet captioned “send me location”—a reference to a famous line from former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed with The Verge that Zuckerberg was being serious in his response to Musk, saying the Meta CEO’s post spoke for itself.
As hype around a potential fight picked up, UFC president Dana White joined in on the anticipation, posting a video of himself sporting a Zuckerberg vs Musk shirt that was made available for purchase on the UFC’s website.
White was quoted in a July 1 story from the New York Times saying he would help organize an exhibition match between the tech CEOs and that they both wanted to fight—with both men agreeing there should be a charity component to the bout.
On July 3, photos of Musk training with UFC legend Georges St. Pierre, mixed martial arts coach John Danaher and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt Lex Fridman surfaced online—with an Instagram post from St. Pierre showing the four men in training gear.
Musk biographer Walter Isaacson later claimed in a Twitter Spaces session that he doubted a fight would happen and that it was “a metaphor” for the competition between the CEOs’ rivaling social media sites.
Zuckerberg, who is trained in the grappling combat discipline of Jiu-jitsu, also employed the training services of elite fighting talent in July—made evident by gym photos taken with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski on July 11.
As of July 12, an exhibition agreement between Musk and Zuckerberg has yet to materialize.
Tangent
In the background of Musk and Zuckerberg fight-related banter, tensions between the two have increased following the launch of Instagram’s Threads platform, a direct competitor to Twitter that launched July 5 and racked up its first 100 million users on July 10. That same day, Musk called Zuckerberg a “cuck” over Twitter and proposed a “dick measuring contest” with him. An attorney for Twitter accused and threatened to sue Meta for allegedly misusing Twitter’s “trade secrets and other intellectual property” and employing former Twitter staffers for help with developing Threads, labeling it as a “copycat” app of Twitter.
Big Number
-160. That’s the hypothetical line DraftKings set for Zuckerberg to win the match, making him the betting favorite, with bettors needing to wager $160 on Zuckerberg to return a $100 profit. DraftKings set the odds for a Musk upset at +140, meaning a $100 bet would deliver a $140 profit. The sports betting company attributed the lines to Zuckerberg’s younger age and his near-constant physical activity.
Key Background
A cage match between the tech CEOs might involve some parameters to account for their difference in size. Notably, Musk told White that he would not be willing to “lose any weight” for a potential matchup. Musk, 52, stands around 6’1” tall and has made clear on Twitter that he almost never works out. Zuckerberg, 39, is 5 ‘7” and regularly takes to physical training and competition, recently securing two medals in his first Jiu-jitsu tournament in May, though he was also choked out in one of his fights, according to the New York Times (Zuckerberg has denied the claim). Zuckerberg also seems to be the more avid fight fan, as he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, attended a UFC fight card last October.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk is the richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $245.6 billion. Zuckerberg’s net worth is estimated at $108.7 billion—placing him at No. 7 on Forbes’ list of the world’s real-time billionaires.
Further Reading
Mark Zuckerberg Training With UFC Champions Israel Adesanya And Alexander Volkanovski As Elon Musk Spat Intensifies (Forbes)
A ‘Cage Match’ Between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg May Be No Joke (New York Times)
Musk Hits Below The Belt With Latest Zuckerberg Attacks: ‘Zuck Is A Cuck’ (Forbes)
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