Elon Musk is having discussions with the Italian government regarding his proposed cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg, but the Colosseum has been ruled out as a venue.
Back in June, Musk, the owner of X Corp, and Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, had first mentioned the idea of a one-on-one fight through social media posts. This challenge came as Zuckerberg was preparing to launch Threads, a microblogging site competing with Musk’s rebranded Twitter platform.
Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano stated that they were discussing holding the fight “in full respect of the sites” where it could take place, but it would not be held in Rome.
Sangiuliano said, “I had a long and friendly phone conversation with Elon Musk. We talked about our shared passion for the history of ancient Rome. We are discussing how to organize a great charity and historical event, while respecting the sites. It will not be held in Rome.”
Recently, Dana White, the president of Ultimate Fighting Championship, mentioned that he had spoken with the culture ministry about staging the fight in the Colosseum.
Musk fueled speculation by stating on Twitter (now called X) that the fight would be livestreamed on their social media networks, adding, “Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all.” He also mentioned speaking with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the culture minister, confirming that they had agreed on an epic location. Musk had earlier posted the word “gladiators” with two crossed-sword emojis.
The fight will be managed by my and Zuck’s foundations (not UFC).
Livestream will be on this platform and Meta. Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all.
I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister of Culture. They have agreed on an epic location.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2023
However, Sangiuliano then released a statement ruling out Rome as the location. Italy has numerous ancient Roman and Greek sites across the country, such as the Capua amphitheatre, the ruins of Pompeii near Naples, the ancient Greek temples in Agrigento (Sicily), and the Verona arena, which is still used for events like opera and concerts.
On X, Musk mentioned that the fight would be managed through his and Zuckerberg’s charitable donations, not the UFC. He stated that all proceeds would go to military veterans’ organizations. In Sangiuliano’s statement, he mentioned that any location deal would involve a donation worth “many millions of euros” to two Italian pediatric hospitals.
Nevertheless, Musk also indicated that the fight was not happening immediately. He revealed on X that he had a shoulder problem requiring minor surgery and a few months of recovery.
Zuckerberg, on the other hand, mentioned on Sunday that he was “not holding his breath” for the fight, as he had suggested the date of August 26, which now appears unlikely due to Musk’s surgery post.
Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, also questioned the seriousness of Musk and Zuckerberg’s plans. She stated this week that the fight talk could be a “humorous back and forth” between them and jokingly referred to it as a “great brand sponsorship opportunity.”