‘We’re deadly serious’: UFC boss sees Musk vs. Zuckerberg as ‘greatest fight ever’

Online dispute escalated
‘Both are deadly serious’: UFC boss negotiates ‘greatest fight ever’ with Musk and Zuckerberg

The two tech giants Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg apparently really want to get in the ring. The head of the Ultimate Fighting Association sees huge potential.

It’s an announcement that nobody was expecting until yesterday: two of the highest profile tech billionaires, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, have agreed to meet – to fight each other in a cage match (read more here). Many suspect a PR stunt. But Dana White, head of the Ultimate Fighting Association UFC, is certain: both want to get in the ring.

“I spoke to Elon and Mark last night and they’re both deadly serious,” White told TMZ Sport. “Both said: We’ll do it.” First, Zuckerberg called him. “He asked me, ‘Is he serious?’ I said, ‘I don’t know’ – and that I’m going to ask,” reports White. “So I asked. And got the answer: ‘Deadly serious’.”

“It could be the greatest fight of all time”

The fact that the two ask the UFC boss is no coincidence. They had agreed on the so-called Octagon, an octagonal cage in Las Vegas, as the venue. That’s where the UFC fights for the title. The association also has experience with big show fights: in 2017 it held the most spectacular show match to date: boxer Floyd Mayweather competed against MMA champion Connor McGregor in 2017.

The battle of the tech giants could get even bigger, White believes. “It could be the greatest fight of all time,” White is convinced. “This will break all pay-per-view records.” The Mayweather-McGregor fight had 4.4 million paying viewers at the time. “This could easily bring in three times as much,” believes White. “Everyone wants to see that, you don’t have to be a fan of fights.”

objection from mom

If they really want to, he would be there immediately, says White. “I put on fights that people want to see. That’s my job. If they’re serious, we can do it.” He assumes that the two would use it to raise money for charity. “You both don’t need the money, after all.” Mayweather and McGregor are said to have earned over $400 million combined from the fight.

Musk still has to get permission first: His mother Maye Musk had already officially canceled the fight on Twitter, “even if they don’t know about it yet.” Musk only responded to the announcement with a laugh emoji. After that, however, he had responded to a post that suggested a jiu-jitsi match between the two. “Let’s go straight into MMA,” he offered as a counter-proposal. Mama’s objection doesn’t seem to deter him.