A mega fight that could see two of the richest people in the world duke it out in a cage match has the world abuzz. While one of the two proposed fighters had his mom call off the match, a leading fight promoter is ready to make history with the fight.
What Happened: A proposed fight between Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk and Meta Platforms Inc. META CEO Mark Zuckerberg is drawing attention with both billionaires ready to enter the ring after years of being rivals.
Musk’s mother Maye Musk appeared to call off the fight on Thursday telling Twitter the fight had been canceled. Instead of settling their differences in the ring, Maye Musk offered a different option.
“No joking. Fight with words only. In armchairs. 4 feet apart. The funniest person wins," Maye Musk tweeted.
While Maye Musk is ready to have the fight canceled, UFC president Dana White is doing whatever he can to make the rumored fight a reality.
“I was talking to both Elon and Mark last night [Wednesday], both guys are absolutely dead serious about this,” White told TMZ Sports on Thursday.
White said it was Zuckerberg who reached out to him first to ask if Musk was serious, which prompted White to reach out to Musk.
“This would be the biggest fight ever in the history of the world. It would break all pay-per-view records.”
White said that the fight could raise millions of dollars for charity with each billionaire signaling the interest of fighting for charity.
“Everyone would want to see it. I’m taking it very serious. If these guys are serious, I make fights that people want to see, that’s what I do for a living.”
White said he spent an hour and a half on the phone with both Musk and Zuckerberg Wednesday and the fight planning is in the early stages at this time.
“We’ll see how it plays out.”
White was asked about the fighting experience and training for both billionaires in his interview, something that could see Zuckerberg, with recent jiu-jitsu fighting, have an edge.
“Mark takes the sport very seriously. Elon tells me that he’s done martial arts, he’s done jiu jitsu.”
White said the pay-per-view for the Musk and Zuckerberg super fight could cost consumers around $100. White also thinks the fight could break previous pay-per-view records and viewership for a mega fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.
“I think it triples that. This is the biggest fight that could ever be made in the history of the world, it’s that big.”
Related Link: Mark Zuckerberg Answers Elon Musk's Cage Match Challenge, 'Send Me Location'
Why It’s Important: Talks of a fight between Musk and Zuckerberg stemmed from news Meta Platforms is launching their own version of Twitter, which prompted a cage match proposal by Musk.
As the owners of social media companies themselves, consideration over where the fight will be broadcast could become a major sticking point. The involvement of White suggests that the UFC, which is owned by Endeavor Group Holdings Inc EDR, could be involved.
Twitter users have also suggested that Joe Rogan serves as the referee. Rogan is a commentator for the UFC.
Benzinga previously reported that Musk has a connection to Endeavor Group Holdings that could see UFC having a leg up in any negotiations. Musk previously served on the board of directors of Endeavor before stepping down. Musk also once owned shares of Endeavor Group, but it is unclear if he remains a shareholder today.
Sportsbook operator DraftKings Inc DKNG has set initial odds on the rumored fight with Zuckerberg getting -160 odds as the favorite and Musk the underdog at odds of +140.
Benzinga asked ChatGPT to pick a winner in the fight. The answer can be found here.
Read Next: Elon Musk Taunts Mark Zuckerberg For Reportedly Planning Twitter-Like App
Photo: Musk, Daniel Oberhaus via Flickr CC; Zuckerberg, Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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