Making sense of the senseless Musk v/s Zuck saga
After endless speculation and a bunch of virtual punches thrown, it seems like the world's most pointless fight won't actually happen. Twitter-turned-X owner Elon Musk and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg were reportedly scheming for a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) face-off. Yes, you read that right. Here's a lowdown on the stupidest and yet the funniest feud in the history of sports ever.
How it all began?
The ongoing feud between these two billionaire rivals dates back nearly a decade, but let's not go there. The latest episode in their saga, involving an MMA fight, seems to have ignited due to Meta's introduction of Threads—a direct competitor to X—that gained rapid traction upon its release. Musk went as far as issuing a legal threat against Zuckerberg's Meta, alleging he copied X.
June 21: Who pitched the idea for the fight?
No shocker here - Musk, known for his eccentric statements on social media, was the one to bring up the idea of a fight. Just as Threads hit the scene, Musk began needling Zuckerberg in his tweets with some playful jabs. And when news spread that Zuckerberg was eyeing a slice of X's pie, Musk playfully pitched the idea of a cage match.
Musk challenges Zuck
June 21: Zuck accepts the challenge
So, when Elon threw down the challenge, Zuckerberg took to Instagram story and said, "Send me the location." As soon as the news got around that Zuckerberg was on board, Elon added to the mix, suggesting they settle the showdown at "Vegas Octagon." When Musk proposed the UFC venue, UFC President Dana White promptly joined in, affirming that both contenders were "dead serious."
Musk chooses a UFC venue
June 27: Audience taking sides
Former kickboxer and infamous social media sensation, Andrew Tate raised his hand to be Musk's coach. It must be noted that Tate was previously banned from Facebook and Instagram over his controversial preachings. Now, in the other corner, UFC's big shot Jon Jones offered to train Zuckerberg. While all this was happening, Musk took an "impromptu" training session with Podcaster-cum-Jiu-jitsu pro, Lex Fridman.
Musk getting all prepped up
Musk has already been training since COVID-19
Talking about jiu-jitsu, Zuckerberg has been hitting the MMA and jiu-jitsu training since the lockdown months caused by COVID-19. He even stepped into his first tournament in May 2023 and managed to snag a bunch of medals.
June 30: Musk shifts the venue to Rome's Colosseum
When Dana White, the UFC president, hinted, as per the New York Times, that he was secretly arranging the Vegas showdown as a charity exhibition, it started feeling like the fight was getting real. But then, Musk pulled a wild card with a hilariously odd idea that had everyone baffled. "Some chances fight happens in Colosseum," Musk tweeted. Yes, the ancient 2000-year-old amphitheater!
August 6: Zuck says 'I'm ready'
Nearly a month later, Zuckerberg took to Threads to announce the date- August 26. "I'm ready today. I suggested Aug 26 when he first challenged, but he hasn't confirmed. Not holding my breath," Zuck writes. He also mentioned his love for MMA and made it clear he's up for challenges from those who truly train, playfully poking at Musk's lack of seriousness.
Musk says he talked to Italy's PM for fight's venue
August 11: Italian government denies ever talking to Musk
Getting all serious about the fight, Musk tweets out new information that hints things are locked in. But, surprise! The Italian government says they never talked to Musk about using the Colosseum in Rome for the match. Italy's Culture Ministry adds, "If Zuckerberg and Musk wanted to perform in the Colosseum they would have to make a non-violent challenge."
August 13: Musk chickens out, admitting Zuck might win
Elon Musk just threw down the challenge to Mark Zuckerberg for a little practice match at his place next week. Musk went ahead and tweeted what seems like a chat between him and Zuck. He seems to chicken out admitting that "I think it is very unlikely, given out size difference, perhaps you are a modern day Bruce Lee and will somehow win."
Check out the conversation between the duo
This is the full message: pic.twitter.com/UzbKoIkFOc— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2023 This is the full message: pic.twitter.com/UzbKoIkFOc— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2023
August 14: Zuckerberg 'moves on'
Taking to Threads, Zuckerberg said, "If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on." And then, Musk, while slyly slipping in a mention of Tesla's Full-Service-Drive feature and X's latest livestream update, responds that he will drive to Zuckerberg's home and if he opens the door, the fight is on.
August 16: Musk admits that he 'joked' about the fight
In the latest chapter of this stupid banter, Musk confessed in a tweet, admitting he was simply "joking" about fighting Zuck. "He wrote, "I joked on X about fighting Zuck." And just like that, our hopes of seeing that showdown went down the drain. But of course, with the unpredictable billionaire Elon Musk, you can never be too sure about anything!
