- UFC president Dana White is reportedly in talks with billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk to organize a cage fight.
- According to BetUS, Zuckerberg is the odds-on favorite to beat Musk in the cage fight.
- Musk accepted an offer from Georges St-Pierre to be his trainer in his fight against Zuckerberg.
Tech moguls Mark Zuckerberg, 39, and Elon Musk, 52, are reportedly gearing up for a one-of-a-kind celebrity fight between two of the richest people in the world. Oddsmakers are getting in on the action, and have released Zuckerberg vs Musk odds. Zuckerberg opened as a -280 favorite to defeat Musk.
Spearheaded by fight promoter Dana White, the fight was viewed as a joke at first. However, it appears like Zuckerberg and Musk are serious about getting into the cage for charity.
The fight is expected to be for a charitable organization of their choice, which could reach hundreds of millions of dollars in buys. Currently, the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight owns the PPV record with $600 million in total revenue generated.
White is confident that this fight could smash the all-time PPV record. The UFC boss is forecasting a total of over $1 billion in revenue from the cage fight, which would easily surpass Mayweather and McGregor.
Dana White Moving Forward With Cage Fight
In recent comments to TMZ, White reiterated that he is dead set on making this cage fight a reality.
“Mark Zuckerberg hit me up first and said ‘is he serious?’”. White said to the entertainment news and gossip site. The UFC president responded: “Yeah, I’m serious.”
White added that both entrepreneurs were interested in the fight. According to White, Zuckerberg, and Musk both agreed to step into the cage. So, is this cage fight really on?
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 25, 2023
No official statement has been made regarding the fight. We do not have a date or statement from a PPV provider that the Zuckerberg vs Musk fight is scheduled to happen.
However, if you listen to White, he seems adamant that the cage fight wasn’t proposed as a joke or for publicity. From the same man that created Power Slap Flight, we should probably take White at his word.
Zuckerberg Has Jiu-Jitsu Experience
The first question on everyone’s mind has to be, “is this for real”? The second probably has to do with which billionaire will have the edge in the cage.
Facebook co-founder and Meta CEO, Zuckerberg, has some athletic background and has even trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Zuckerberg was part of the crew and tennis team in high school.
He did not take part in combat sports or an MMA discipline, but Zuckerberg participated in competitive sports growing up. More recently, Zuckerberg has turned his attention to jiu-jitsu.
Mark Zuckerberg training Brazilian jiu jitsu with podcaster Lex Fridman pic.twitter.com/nsy2ihJ6Gx
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) June 25, 2023
Zuckerberg’s passion for Brazilian jiu-jitsu has turned into entering competitive tournaments. Jiu-Jitsu is a hobby of Zuckerberg’s, but he has taken it quite seriously.
In May, Zuckerberg entered his first-ever jiu-jitsu tournament. He had tremendous success ,despite it only being his first time in an event of this magnitude.
Zuckerberg collected a gold and silver medal in the gi and no gi disciplines of the white belt lightweight division. It was probably the last thing you would have expected from Zuckerberg, but his expertise will pose a problem for Musk.
Musk has a size advantage over Zuckerberg, but if the Meta CEO can get Tesla’s CEO to the mat, then he should make easy work of this cage fight. Oddsmakers rightfully have Zuckerberg as the favorite.
Zuckerberg’s MMA journey reportedly started during the Covid-19 lockdown. He developed an interest in the sport, which turned into Zuckerberg training and seeking out tournaments.
The apex of his fighting career is going to come sooner than he believed and it will be against the unlikeliest of opponents.
Musk Accepts Training Offer From Georges St-Pierre
Musk is reportedly going to have one of the most prominent MMA figures in his corner. Retired UFC fighter, Georges St-Pierre, is going to be in Musk’s corner for the battle against Zuckerberg.
If GSP can train Musk into a competent enough cage fighter, this will go down as another big win for the French Canadian. GSP has a long list of accomplishments, including being a two-time UFC welterweight champion and a former middleweight champ, and is regarded as one of the best to ever fight in the Octagon.
@elonmusk I'm a huge fan of yours and it would be an absolute honor to help you and be your training partner for the challenge against Zuckerberg 👊😁
— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) June 24, 2023
Before retiring, GSP compiled a record of 26-2 in the UFC. His only losses were to Matt Hughes in 2004 and to Matt Serra in 2007 (he would defeat both in championship rematches). GSP, who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, most recently fought in 2017. He defeated Michael Bisping via a rear naked chokehold in the third round at UFC 217 to win the middleweight title, and then retired.
We do not know how much time GSP will have with Musk to prepare for the fight. No date or details have been released regarding the highly anticipated bout. How much of a fighter can GSP turn Musk into from now to then?
In 2022, Musk revealed to Joe Rogan on the JRE podcast that he trained in judo, Kyokushin karate, and taekwondo as a child. There hasn’t been anything to corroborate this claim, but at age 52, we suspect that he may have forgotten a thing or two.
Zuckerberg has a clear head start on Musk after training in jiu-jitsu since 2020. Additionally, he received a lift when UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones offered to help prepare him for the fight. Jones wants to be the head trainer for Zuckerberg, but so far, the tech genius hasn’t responded.
Musk’s Mom Wants The Fight Called Off
There is at least one person who doesn’t want to see this fight materialize. Maye Musk, Elon’s mom, isn’t interested in seeing her son enter a cage fight.
According to Musk’s model mother, the fight is canceled. Despite her claims on Twitter, there is no indication that it was canceled. The comments appear to be a more lighthearted gesture than anything that should be taken seriously, though.
Actually, I canceled the fight. I haven’t told them yet. But I will continue to say the fight is canceled, just in case…🤨 https://t.co/y9gg9qrnuQ
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) June 22, 2023
Meanwhile, Elon’s father, Errol, also chimed in about the proposed fight. Errol criticized the ‘schoolboy’ fight and suspects that the event is going to result in ‘total humiliation’. According to Errol, it is a no-win situation for Elon.
Nevertheless, this isn’t stopping online betting sites from offering odds on the potential showdown.
