Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg cage fight could be jiu-jitsu vs ‘Walrus’
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Only six weeks ago, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg competed in his first jujitsu tournament, taking home a couple of medals and posting a photo of himself on Instagram, his arm raised in post-match triumph. Now, the billionaire has been challenged to a cage match by another billionaire — Elon Musk — and Zuckerberg is apparently game.
Musk has been taking shots at Zuckerberg on social media amid reports that Meta, Facebook’s parent, is working on a social media platform to rival Twitter, which Musk purchased in October. On Tuesday, in a Twitter thread about Meta’s purported plans, Musk appeared to agree with the suggestion that Meta has copied rival social media companies.
Another user told Musk in jest to “be careful” because Zuckerberg now trains in jujitsu.
Then Musk responded: “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.”
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A day later on Instagram, Zuckerberg posted a screenshot of Musk’s tweet, with the caption: “Send Me Location.”
And Musk later tweeted “Vegas Octagon,” referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship arena.
“I have this great move that I call ‘The Walrus,’ where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing,” Musk added.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Asked about Zuckerberg’s Instagram post, Meta spokeswoman Elana Widmann told The Washington Post in a statement: “The story speaks for itself.”
It’s far from certain whether the matchup will happen — some combat sports observers are skeptical. That did not stop internet users from musing about how a fight between the two billionaires might look — and who would win. Musk’s fighting experience is unclear, but in recent months Zuckerberg has flaunted his physical fitness. In late May, he posted a photo of himself wearing a camouflaged vest, writing that he had done 300 squats, 200 push-ups and 100 pull-ups, while wearing a 20-pound “weighted pack.”
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Zuckerberg has also made no secret of his affinity for Brazilian jujitsu and mixed martial arts, saying on the “The Joe Rogan Experience” in August 2022 that he’d become interested in martial arts “in the last 12 months.”
“It really is the best sport,” Zuckerberg said. “From the very first session that I did, like five minutes in, I was like, ‘Where has this been my whole life?’”
In October, Zuckerberg attended an unusual UFC event in which he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were among just a handful of spectators watching in person, while most of the seats remained empty. Zuckerberg was still ranked as a white belt when he participated during the May jujitsu tournament in which he won a gold and a silver medal. During one match, Zuckerberg reportedly was choked unconscious at one point, which he denied in an email this month to the New York Times.
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At the center of Musk’s exchange with Zuckerberg is Meta’s plan to roll out a social media platform that rivals 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 “sanely run” platform than Twitter — which has seen an exodus of advertisers since Musk took over in October.
“At least it will be ‘sane,’” Musk tweeted disparagingly about Meta’s purported new platform. “Was worried there for a moment.”
Minutes later, Musk said he’d take on Zuckerberg in the cage.
Cat Zakrzewski contributed to this report.
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Source: The Washington Post
