Mark Zuckerberg called out Elon Musk Sunday for dodging his attempts to schedule a date for their battle-of-the-billionaires cage match, saying that he is “not holding my breath” waiting for a response.
The war of words ensued after Musk announced Sunday that he wanted the bout to be livestreamed on Twitter, which he recently rebranded as “X.”
“All proceeds will go to charity for veterans,” Musk added.
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Musk and Zuckerberg have been teasing an apparent mixed martial arts bout since late June—even getting UFC President Dana White on board to help plan the bout. “Both guys are absolutely dead serious about this,” White said of the fight in June. “They both want to do it.”
Musk spent much of Sunday tweeting about his apparent readiness for battle, explaining: “If the fight is short, I probably win. If long, he may win on endurance. I am much bigger and there is a reason MMA has weight divisions.”
“Am lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight. Don’t have time to work out, so I just bring them to work,” he wrote.
“Aiming to get to 50 pound free weights this week. I build muscle fast. Physical endurance is my weak spot, so I’m aiming to make this quick,” he explains in another, while reposting video while apparently working out in the office: “Product testing & working out kills two birds with one stone! I swing one of the 45 lb weights for a kettle bell workout.”
When one user tweeted the tech CEO asking what the point of it all was, Musk replied: “It’s a civilized form of war. Men love war.”
Despite all the talk, details of the proposed Zuck vs. Musk fight remained sparse—other than the recent claim from Musk that he would use the match to drive viewership to his own social media platform.
By Sunday afternoon, Zuckerberg called Musk’s bluff, revealing he is “ready today” and that he had already suggested a date for the fight–Aug. 26–“but he hasn’t confirmed,” Zuckerberg wrote on Threads. “Not holding my breath.”
Posting a screengrab of Musk’s tweet, Zuckerberg dug the knife in deeper: “Shouldn’t we use a more reliable platform that can actually raise money for charity?”
Zuckerberg added: “I love this sport and will continue competing with people who train no matter what happens here.”
Then, despite his rival’s call-to-arms, Musk claimed Sunday night that the “exact date is still in flux.” He predictably made the statement in a post on X, citing an unnamed injury to his upper body.
“I’m getting an MRI of my neck & upper back tomorrow. May require surgery before the fight can happen. Will know this week,” Musk wrote.
Read it at The Associated Press
