The saga of the MMA bout between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg continues to get ever weirder. It all began when Musk, while ranting about Zuckerberg on Twitter, challenged the Meta founder to a "cage match". Zuckerberg almost immediately accepted the fight on Instagram.
Subsequently, Dana White of the UFC got involved to assure the internet that both men were "dead serious" about actually squaring off. Furthermore, it appeared that White was angling for the UFC to serve as the fight's promotion. Meanwhile, training offers began to come in for both sides. Musk received offers from Andrew Tate, Dominick Cruz, and Georges St. Pierre, while Zuckerberg received an offer from Jon Jones.
Hype continued to climb, with former UFC mainstay Chael Sonnen claiming that the fight would headline UFC 300. Elsewhere, reality began to set in amongst the competitors. During a Twitter Spaces, Musk admitted that the fight could "go badly for him" given Zuckerberg's very real dedication to martial arts and combat sports. Finally, the fight appeared to be dead when Musk announced that he was reconsidering the fight due to concerns from his mother. Despite this, a very unusual source has arisen to potentially revive the fight.
Italian Government Offer Colosseum As Musk-Zuckerberg Fight Venue
According to Musk on Twitter, and confirmed by TMZ, the fight could be going ahead at the Colosseum in Rome. Opened in 80AD under Emporer Titus, the Colosseum was the hub of sporting and cultural entertainment for the Roman Empire. It was the largest amphitheater in the ancient world and remains the largest amphitheater still in existence.
Per TMZ, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Italian Minister of Culture, reportedly reached out to Zuckerberg earlier this week to offer the Colosseum as a fight venue. The UFC is now allegedly in discussions with the Ministry of Culture about the feasibility of the event.
However, as grand as the spectacle would be, it's unlikely that the fight would actually happen inside the Colosseum. Due to it being nearly 2000 years old and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, you can't exactly turn into the setting for a pay-per-view. The maximum capacity is listed at a few hundred. Furthermore, the amount of work needed to make it fit to host, say, a landmark UFC event, would likely be prohibitively extensive. We'll keep you updated on this story as it continues to unfold.
Rose Namajunas To Make Flyweight Debut In Paris
In actual MMA news, it was recently revealed that Rose Namajunas will be making her highly anticipated flyweight debut this September in Paris. First reported by MMA Junkie, Namajunas will face French fighter Manon Fiorot at UFC Fight Night Paris on September 2. Fiorot has reportedly wanted the Namajunas for some time but is only now getting the chance.
11-5 in her MMA career (9-4 in the UFC), Namajunas announced her intention to leave strawweight after a title fight loss to Carla Esparaza at UFC 274 in May 2022. Her flyweight debut pits her against ESPN's #3 fighter in the division, Fiorot. The French fighter (10-1, 5-0 UFC) has been steadily working her way up the division after debuting in January 2021. If she can continue to perform well, she will likely challenge the winner of the Grasso-Shevchenko rematch/triology.
There is a lot on the line with this fight. For Namajunas, a win would validate her division move and show that she is a force to be reckoned with across two divisions. With the retirement of Amanda Nunes earlier this year, there is currently a power vacuum in women's MMA that Namajunas could potentially muscle her way into.