Elon Musk has spoken with the Italian government about holding his proposed mixed martial arts fight with Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg at an “epic location” in the country, the SpaceX and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) chief said on Friday.
Musk said in a post on X, formerly Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), that: “Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all ... Everything done will pay respect to the past and present of Italy.”
But the fight will not take place in Rome, ruling out the Colosseum as a potential venue, according to a statement from the Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.
The minister confirmed he had “a long and friendly conversation” with Musk about “how to organize a great charity and historical evocation event, respecting and fully protecting the places.”
“It will not be held in Rome,” he said, adding: “Above all it is envisaged that a huge sum, many millions of euros, will be donated to two important Italian pediatric hospitals for the strengthening of structures and scientific research to combat diseases affecting children.”
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
In his post on X, Musk noted that the fight would be managed by his and Zuckerberg’s foundations, not the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
It will be live-streamed on X and Meta and proceeds from the fight will be donated to charity, specifically “to veterans.”
Musk initially challenged Zuckerberg to the cage fight in June after the two exchanged verbal swipes online following Meta’s launch of a Twitter competitor Threads.
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