- Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have been gearing up for a potential fight.
- TMZ reported Friday that Italy’s culture minister told Zuckerberg it could be hosted at the Colosseum.
- Musk tweeted there was “some chance” the bout could take place at the legendary Roman venue.
The circus around the potential fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk is getting even stranger — with claims it could take place in Rome’s ancient Colosseum.
TMZ reported Friday that Italy’s culture minister reached out to Meta CEO Zuckerberg to suggest staging the much-hyped contest at the legendary venue.
And then Zuckerberg passed on the message to the UFC’s Dana White, whose people contacted the senior Italian government official, according to TMZ.
Around the same time the report was published, Musk tweeted: “Some chance fight happens in Colosseum.”
He also linked to a scene from the comedy film “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” which depicts a fight in Jerusalem’s colosseum, adding: “Need to work on my endurance.”
And shared a Latin phrase that translates to “The stars incline us, they do not bind us.”
So it seems the Tesla CEO could be eager to bring this much-hyped bout to one of the seven wonders of the world.
Zuckerberg is a noted fan of Roman history, having spoken about his fascination with Augustus Caesar — and may have even chosen his cropped hairstyle to emulate the first-century Roman emperor.
It’s still uncertain whether or not this fight will actually take place, with Musk’s mom repeatedly trying to call off the fight, and his dad calling it a “no-win situation for Elon” in an interview with The Sun.
But then the world’s richest person held an hours-long “impromptu” training session with the podcaster Lex Fridman on Tuesday.
And White previously told TMZ both billionaires are “dead serious” about the fight, after he spent an hour and half on the phone with them.
The Colosseum has hosted some concerts in modern times, like Elton John’s in 2005, but that only took place outside the walls due to the venue’s ancient condition.
Although ongoing restoration work means there could be larger events within the arena itself — which accommodated up to 80,000 spectators in Roman times.
The BBC reported that it will have a retractable stage floor when restoration is completed later this year, which the culture ministry said would allow for concerts and theatrical performances.
Meta, the Italian ministry of culture, and a UFC spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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