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Just six weeks ago, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg attended his first ju-jitsu tournament, took home a few medals and posted a photo on Instagram of himself raising his arm in triumph after the game. Now the billionaire has been challenged to a cage fight by another billionaire – Elon Musk – and Zuckerberg appears ready.
Musk was shoot at Zuckerberg on social media amid reports that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is working on a social media platform to compete with Twitter, which Musk bought in October. On Tuesday, in a Twitter thread about Meta’s alleged plans, Musk appeared to agree with claims that Meta copied competing social media companies.
Another user jokingly urged Musk to “be careful” since Zuckerberg is now training jiu-jitsu.
Then Musk answered: “I’m ready for a cage fight if he does lol.”
A day later, Zuckerberg posted a screenshot of Musk’s tweet on Instagram with the caption, “Send me location.”
And Musk later tweeted “Vegas Octagon,” referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship arena.
“I have this awesome move I call ‘The Walrus’ where I just lay on top of my opponent and don’t do anything,” Musk added.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When asked about Zuckerberg’s Instagram post, Meta spokesperson Elana Widmann told The Washington Post, “The story speaks for itself.”
It is far from certain that the duel will take place – some martial arts observers are skeptical. That didn’t stop netizens from pondering what a fight between the two billionaires might look like – and who would win. Musk’s combat experience is unclear, but in recent months, Zuckerberg has flaunted his physical fitness. In late May, he posted a photo of himself in a camo vest and wrote that he did 300 squats, 200 push-ups and 100 pull-ups while carrying a 20-pound “weight pack.”
Zuckerberg has also made no secret of his affinity for Brazilian ju-jitsu and mixed martial arts, saying on The Joe Rogan Experience in August 2022 that he’s had an interest in martial arts “for the past 12 months.”
“It really is the best sport,” Zuckerberg said. “From the first session I did, about five minutes later, I was like, ‘Where has this been my whole life?'”
In October, Zuckerberg attended an unusual UFC event where he and his wife Priscilla Chan were among just a handful of spectators who watched in person while most seats remained empty. Zuckerberg was still wearing the white belt when he competed in the ju-jitsu tournament in May, where he won a gold and a silver medal. Zuckerberg was reportedly once choked unconscious during a game, which he denied in an email to The New York Times this month.
At the heart of Musk’s exchange with Zuckerberg is Meta’s plan to launch a social media platform to rival Twitter. Meta confirmed its plans to news outlets in March. This month, The Verge reported that the new app could be called Threads and that meta officials are pitching it as a “more sensibly operated” platform than Twitter — which has seen an exodus of advertisers since Musk acquired it in October.
“At least it’ll be ‘reasonable,'” Musk tweeted disparagingly of Meta’s supposedly new platform. “Was concerned for a moment.”
Minutes later, Musk said he would take on Zuckerberg in the cage.
Cat Zakrzewski contributed to this report.
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