Elon Musk announced on Friday that the highly anticipated cage match between he and Mark Zuckerberg would take place in Italy, after the country’s government officially announced plans to organize a “great charity event.”
Although a confrontation between the two internet giants hasn’t been verified, Musk indicated on his X social media network, which replaced Twitter, that plans were moving forward.
“I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister of Culture,” Musk wrote, referring to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “They have agreed on an epic location.”
Meta chief Zuckerberg responded on his Threads social network, posting a photo of himself shirtless and pinning down an opponent in his “backyard octagon.”
A martial arts enthusiast who has taken part in jiujitsu competitions, Zuckerberg said, “I love this sport and I’ve been ready to fight since the day Elon challenged me.”
“If he ever agrees on an actual date, you’ll hear it from me. Until then, please assume anything he says has not been agreed on.”
Despite stating that any match “will not be held in Rome,” Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano acknowledged meeting with Musk about “how to organize a great charity event evoking history.”
Musk posted about the proposal in late June and appears to be hoping that the fight will take place in the historic Colosseum, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Any event including Musk, according to Sangiuliano, will raise “a huge sum, many millions of euros, (that) will be donated to two significant Italian pediatric hospitals,” she said in a statement.
“It will also be an opportunity to promote our history and our archaeological, artistic and cultural heritage on a global scale,” he said.
Musk meanwhile said “everything done will pay respect to the past and present of Italy” and that proceeds will “go to veterans.”
He claimed that rather than the mixed martial arts promoter located in Las Vegas, UFC, the cage match would be run by foundations run by him and Mark Zuckerberg.
Dana White, the head of the UFC, said this week on Mike Tyson’s podcast that he thought the fight would bring in $1 billion in revenue while still looking to take part in the event.
In his Threads post, Zuckerberg stated that he would like to collaborate with a professional organization like the UFC to develop a lineup that highlights top players in the sport.
The two internet titans, who had previously sparred from a distance, are now direct rivals thanks to Zuckerberg’s Meta’s July 1 launch of its platform called Threads, which is similar to Twitter.
In a slightly frivolous aside, Musk later Friday posted a phrase in Latin that translates as “it is delightful to play the fool occasionally.”
Musk did not mention a date for the proposed fight, but said he may need to undergo “minor surgery” to resolve a “problem with my right shoulder blade rubbing against my ribs.”
“Recovery will only take a few months,” he added.
The world’s richest person has a titanium plate holding two vertebrae together but said Friday it is currently “not an issue.”
