In a recent whirlwind of headlines, billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have sparked public intrigue with their decision to battle -- but not in the boardroom, but in the cage.
Although it sounds like a storyline from an episode of Family Guy or South Park, the two moguls raised eyebrows after agreeing to an MMA cage match earlier this month.
With their respective training regimes already seemingly underway, there's a growing buzz about a potential cage fight face-off between these two giants of social media.
Musk has dived headfirst into his training, seeking out the expertise of prominent figures in the martial arts world. One such figure is Lex Fridman, a popular scientific podcaster and a seasoned jiu-jitsu black belt holder. Fridman recently shared a snapshot of Musk in action during a surprise training session, showcasing a successful take-down maneuver.
Sharing pics of Musk grappling, Fridman wrote: "I did an impromptu training session with @elonmusk
for a few hours yesterday.
"I'm extremely impressed with his strength, power, and skill, on the feet and on the ground. It was epic."
"It's really inspiring to see Elon and Mark doing martial arts, but I think the world is served far better if they train martial arts but not fight in the cage," Fridman added. "That said, as Elon says, the most entertaining outcome is the most likely... I'm there for them, no matter what."
Meanwhile, Maye Musk - Elon's 75-year-old mother - has voiced her disapproval of the proposed match on social media, urging Fridman and others not to fuel the fire.
Responding to another of Fridman's tweets about the bout, mom Maye responded: "Don’t encourage this match!"
The SpaceX founder, famous for his out-of-the-box thinking, often postulates that the most amusing outcomes tend to materialize. Whether or not this applies to a potential cage fight between these two tech tycoons remains to be seen.
Interestingly, Fridman, whose podcast hosts notable figures in technology and science, recently had Zuckerberg as a guest, during which the two also shared a jiu-jitsu training session, News.com.au reports.
While 52-year-old Musk is gearing up to train with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre, 39-year-old Zuckerberg has received an offer from another UFC great, Jon Jones.
Adding a twist to the narrative, UFC president Dana White verified the genuine interest of both Musk and Zuckerberg in making this potential match a reality. After a phone conversation with Zuckerberg, White expressed his belief that this bout, if it were to occur, could dethrone Floyd Mayweather's pay-per-view reign, considering the online frenzy it's already caused.
White stated: "The biggest fight of all time was Floyd and Conor, I just think it triples that -- it triples what that did, there's no limit on what that thing can make," emphasizing the unparalleled revenue potential of this speculated duel between the billionaire CEOs.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if this Battle of the Billionaires fills our newsfeeds down the line.