LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) Elon Musk, the CEO of X (previously Twitter), revealed his private chats with Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, encouraging him to take their promised $1 billion super battle seriously or quit.
According to the Daily Mail, when Musk tweeted that he was “up for a cage fight” with Zuckerberg and the latter replied, “Send me a location,” it seemed as though the two billionaires would engage in a brawl.
Dana White, head of the UFC, later revealed that both men were serious about staging an MMA matchup this year that would, in his estimation, bring in over $1 billion in revenue.
White also said last week that he had discussed hosting Zuckerberg vs. Musk at the famed Colosseum in Rome, one of the seven wonders of the world, with the Italian Minister of Culture.
Nevertheless, Zuckerberg is apparently having second thoughts about the fight after saying in a post on his brand-new social networking platform Threads, “If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me.”
Musk also disclosed a snapshot of a private communication he had with Zuckerberg over the weekend, in which the latter objected to Musk’s proposal for a “practice match” in his Palo Alto residence.
READ ALSO: Musk Claims His Cage Fight With Zuckerberg Will Be Streamed On X
Earlier this month, Zuckerberg constructed an Octagon at the property in anticipation of a possible confrontation with Musk, which infuriated his wife, Priscilla Chan.
A picture of the South African giving him the message from Zuckerberg and writing “Wow” was posted on X by American author Walter Isaacson, whose biography of Musk is scheduled to be published next month.
Musk challenged the Meta chief for a practice fight in his Octagon, and the Meta chief answered, “If you still want to do a real MMA fight, then you should train on your own and let me know when you’re ready to compete.”
“I don’t want to keep hyping something that will never happen, so you should either decide you’re going to do this and do it soon, or we should move on.”
According to Business Insider, Musk’s full reply was, “I have not been practicing much, apart from a brief bout with Lex Fridman today.
“While I think it is very unlikely, given our size difference, perhaps you are a modern-day Bruce Lee and will somehow win.’
Zuckerberg’s Threads post about Musk all but confirms the leaked messages were a genuine exchange between the two men, as he spoke out on the practice bout offer and doubted his rival’s willingness to entertain a real contest.
“I offered a real date. [UFC president] Dana White offered to make this a legit competition for charity,’ he said.
“Elon won’t confirm a date, then says he needs surgery, and now asks to do a practice round in my backyard instead.
“If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, time to move on. I’m going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously.”
