"Maza Cage Fight": Musk's lip service, Zuckerberg has been disheartened

Author: Jinlu; Tencent Technology

Focus on:

① The highly anticipated cage fight between Musk and Zuckerberg has attracted global attention, but the game appears to be coming to an end. Zuckerberg criticized Musk for not taking his fight seriously, saying he had given up hope of a fight.

② Zuckerberg said that if Musk is serious about the game, he knows how to contact him. Otherwise, it's time to move on. He will focus on competing against those who take the sport seriously.

③ Musk admitted that he didn't practice much and felt that his chances of winning were slim. Given the size difference between him and Zuckerberg, he compared the latter to a modern-day version of Bruce Lee, more likely to win!

④ Zuckerberg said that he loves combat sports, and from the day Musk challenged him, he was ready to fight! If Musk has a date for the game, he'll let fans know right away.

Tencent Technology News, August 14th, the proposed cage fight between Tesla CEO Elon Musk (Elon Musk) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Mark Zuckerberg) looks like To soak up. On Sunday, local time in the United States, Zuckerberg posted that Musk did not take his contest seriously, and now is the time to look forward!

Zuckerberg said Musk didn't seem to want to engage in the much-anticipated cage fight because he hasn't even confirmed a date yet. Zuckerberg said he had now given up hope in the fight.

He wrote on his social networking site Threads: "I think we have all realized that Musk is not taking this fight seriously! I proposed a cage fight date, and UFC chairman Dana White (Dana White) also Offered to turn this cage fight into a legitimate charity match. But Musk didn’t set a date, then said he needed surgery, and now asked for a practice round in my backyard.”

Zuckerberg added: "If Elon is really serious about this game, he knows how to reach me. Otherwise, it's time to move on. I'm going to focus on competing with people who are serious about this sport."

Earlier Sunday, Musk posted screenshots of his text messages with Zuckerberg on his social media site X.

Zuckerberg wrote: "If you still want to participate in real MMA (mixed martial arts) competitions, then you should train yourself and let me know when you are ready to fight. I don't want to continue to hype something that will never happen, so You either decide right away to play, or we just move on."

Musk replied: "I'll be in Palo Alto on Monday, let's fight on your octagonal field! I haven't practiced much, but given our size difference, I think your chances of winning are slim, maybe you A modern version of Bruce Lee is more likely to win!"

Zuckerberg finally wrote: "I love this sport. From the day Musk challenged me, I was ready to fight! If he determines the date of the game, I will let you know. Until then, please assume Everything he said has not been agreed upon."

Here are the currently known details about the cage fight:

**01 Will they really enter the ring (or the octagon)? **

Musk announced on Friday, ahead of Zuckerberg's Sunday afternoon post, that the contest would be run by his and Zuckerberg's foundations. But Musk also mentioned on the same day that he needed minor surgery and "it will take a few months to fully recover."

Despite invitations from bookmakers to wager, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White said to be involved in organizing the proposed bout, and the apparent willingness of both tech bigwigs to take part in the bout, experts say it's unlikely to be a fight. can happen.

Mathieu Deflem, a professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina, said: "I very much doubt that the game will not be played. The idea is exciting in itself, but the reality may backfire and even feel a little disgusting."

Other researchers say there is no need for cage fighting per se, since the point is to create a publicity stunt by talking about dating. Laura Grindstaff, chair of the sociology department at the University of California, Davis, said cage fights were "highly unlikely" and that "the hype trumped the show."

02 **When will the cage fight take place? **

So far, the only date mentioned about the cage fight is August 26, which Zuckerberg brought up on August 6. He wrote at the time: "I'm ready today! When Musk first proposed the challenge, I suggested August 26th. But he didn't give a confirmation!"

Zuckerberg responded to Musk's post at the time, which said he had been lifting weights throughout the day in preparation for the cage fight. Musk doesn't have time to exercise, he said on X, so he can only practice outside of work. On the same day, Musk said that due to neck and upper back injuries, he may need surgery, so the date of the fight has not yet been set.

Neither Musk, Zuckerberg nor the UFC responded to requests for details about the proposed fight.

03 **Where will the cage fight take place? **

Musk wrote on Friday that Italy's prime minister and culture minister had agreed on the best location for the race. "Everything in the frame will be ancient Roman, so nothing modern," he said.

Musk also asked for a practice round in his backyard, Zuckerberg said.

Earlier, Musk said the fight would take place in the "Las Vegas Octagon," a UFC arena in Nevada that hosts mixed martial arts fights. On another occasion, he announced that the match might take place in Rome's Colosseum.

The latter claim is "unlikely to be true," according to experts who study celebrities in tech.

"I mean, we knew the fight wasn't going to take place in the Colosseum, and it was part of what Musk and Zuckerberg were trying to create a huge publicity effect on. Even the UFC was promoting it because it was a big deal for them. It's good publicity to say it," said Benjamin Little. He is the co-author of "The New Patriarchs of Digital Capitalism," a study of two tech founders.

The fight is not on the UFC's online schedule, which shows fights through Nov. 11.

04 **What are the competition rules? **

While Zuckerberg hinted that the fight would follow the rules of a mixed martial arts championship, Musk posted that his fighting style was inspired by "World Wrestling Entertainment," whose bouts are often scripted and pre-screened. some arrangement.

05 **Who will win between Musk and Zuckerberg? **

Betting site Oddspedia has been calculating odds for the match since June. As of Sunday afternoon, Zuckerberg, 39, had a 79 percent chance of beating Musk, 51.

Zuckerberg is an ambitious mixed martial artist. He revealed on Instagram that he won gold and silver for the Guerrilla judo team in his first competition in May. He also completed the Murph Challenge, which consisted of "running 1,600 meters, doing 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and then running another 1,600 meters, all while backing with a 20-pound backpack" and did it in less than 40 minutes.

06 **Why Musk and Zuckerberg are willing to fight? **

Asked by an X user what the battle meant, Musk replied: "It's a civilized form of war. And men love war!"

Zuckerberg also hinted in a Threads post that he was interested in the sport because he "loves it and will continue to compete against those who are trained professionally no matter what happens here." .

Musk and Zuckerberg's public confrontation was an attempt to reinvent their images and their masculinity, multiple researchers said.

Laura Greenstaff, chair of the sociology department at UC Davis: "It seems to me that these two famous cultural nerds are using this publicity stunt in yet another entrepreneurial venture (in a semi- Just kidding) to reinvent their masculinity. Not only do they have sharp minds, but they also have healthy bodies. Watch them cage fight to prove their physical prowess."

Both Musk and Zuckerberg are reinventing their geek masculinity, said Alison Winch, co-author of "The New Patriarch of Digital Capitalism." “Zuckerberg has been moving closer to the father figure, Musk has been moving closer to the Iron Man figure. Lately, they’ve been leaning more toward the male leader,” she said.

Musk recently said the game would be broadcast live on X, with proceeds going to veterans charities. But he did not specify which charity it was.

Entrepreneurs in these tech spaces are using the battle as a publicity stunt to roll out new features on their apps, like X's live streaming, Little said.

07 **Why do viewers want to see Musk and Zuckerberg cage fight? **

The researchers say the contest is an effective advertising strategy because it creates drama and tension among viewers.

Sociology professor Greenstaff called their attempt to be "the real man in the room" "very clever" because it appealed to all kinds of people. "Some people see cage fighting as a cultural satire on traditional norms of masculinity, while others see it as an affirmation of traditional norms," she said.

Others felt that while the pair's match was strategic in an attempt to maintain their celebrity status, the move did help draw attention from fans.

"Conflict tends to be good for narrative," Winch said. "We're looking forward to the fight, wondering who's going to win. Even in 2023, we're not out of anticipation of a protracted battle between two people!"