The CEOs of Meta and Twitter have both expressed their willingness to face each other in a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, following a report that Meta is developing a rival platform to Twitter.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter and Tesla, and Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Meta and Facebook, have both said they are ready to fight in a cage. The challenge was sparked by a report that Meta is working on a new social media app called Threads, which allegedly started three months after Musk bought Twitter.
The report has not been confirmed yet, but it is not surprising. Many users have left or considered leaving Twitter since Musk took over, while other platforms like Mastodon, Hive Social, and Bluesky Social have gained some popularity. There are many reasons why people are looking for alternatives, and many reasons why the existing ones have not worked. But Meta’s experience and resources could make a difference in this race.
Musk reacted to the report on Twitter, saying he did not like the idea of social media being “under Zuck’s thumb”. Someone then warned him that Zuckerberg knows jiu-jitsu, a Brazilian martial art. Musk replied with “I’m up for a cage match if he is”. Zuckerberg responded on Instagram with a screenshot of Musk’s tweet and a “send me location”. A Meta spokesperson told The Verge that Zuckerberg was serious, saying that the “send me location” message speaks for itself. Musk, on the other hand, seemed to be joking.
Musk suggested the “Vegas Octagon” as the venue, referring to the UFC’s caged fighting arena in Las Vegas. But he also made several jokes about his fitness and his fighting skills. He said he “almost never” works out, except for tossing his children in the air. He also said he has a move called the Walrus where he just lays on top of his opponent. He also said that the most entertaining outcome of this is the most likely. But it is unclear what he meant by that.
Whether this fight will actually happen or not is still uncertain. But there is no doubt that many people would love to see the two tech giants clash in the Octagon. It could even be a good reason to have Zuckerberg and Musk as guest stars in future UFC video games. But for now, we can only wait and see how this situation evolves.
