As Threads and X battle it out for social media supremacy, its mega-rich owners, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, are interested in stepping into the cage together to create violence. Zuckerberg is a legitimate blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu while Musk trained in judo, kyokushin karate, and taekwondo as a kid.
The much-talked-about but never-scheduled bout would see the two throw hands and try to choke each other out. It would be, according to the UFC’s Dana White, “the biggest fight ever in the history of the world” and likely bring in over a $1 billion of revenue on Pay Per View.
One person who would like to see the Zuck-Musk rivalry move into the octagon is Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, who was asked about the potential fight during an interview with Russian news outlet TASS.
“It would be interesting to see, but again, this is all such a media situation, such hype,” Ovechkin said and as translated via Google Translate. “Let’s see who wins.”
The feud between the two magnates originated after Musk acquired Twitter for $43 billion in 2022 and rumors surfaced that Zuckerberg was creating a direct competitor for the social media company. In response to the news, Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a fight. “Send me location,” Zuckerberg responded.
Mark Zuckerberg responds to Elon Musk saying he's down for a cage fight 🥊
"Send me location" pic.twitter.com/NE4mL8l4po
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) June 21, 2023
Musk, 51, does not work out and “wouldn’t exercise at all if he could” per a recent podcast. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old Zuckerberg has an octagon in his backyard and got competition experience in Brazilian jiu-jitsu earlier this year.
Currently, there remains no concrete plans for the fight and the latest update was Zuckerberg turning down Musk’s offer to hold a practice fight at the Facebook creator’s residence. “I think we can all agree Elon isn’t serious and it’s time to move on,” Zuckerberg said on his Threads account.
Ovechkin’s interest in the MMA fight makes sense as he has long been a fan of the sport. In 2018, he met UFC Hall of Famer and undefeated Russian lightweight, Khabib Nurmagomedov, after a game against the San Jose Sharks.
Nurmagomedov is considered pound-for-pound one of greatest fighters of all time. Ovechkin told Match TV this week that he actually bought Nurmagomedov’s chair from the famous Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor fight in 2018.
“At the Andrei Kirilenko auction, I bought Khabib’s chair when he made the famous cage jump,” Ovechkin said. “It was a sensational story. This chair is in our home.”
The Great Eight’s fandom doesn’t mean he has any desire to jump into the ring himself — despite a knockout of Andrei Svechnikov that earned compliments from Conor McGregor.
“I think no,” he replied when asked by TASS if he was motivated at all by other stars making the cross over into combat sports.
If he ever did want to fight, he’d have no shortage of potential trainers. Current UFC BMF Champion Justin Gaethje told Match TV last month that Ovechkin is one of the few NHL players he can name although he did not know which team Ovechkin played for.
Screenshot: @Capitals/X
