Dana White revealed that the proposed match between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk at the Colosseum was much closer to becoming reality than many fans realized, confirming that he personally spent weeks negotiating the deal.
When asked about the possibility of the UFC hosting an event at the Colosseum in Rome, White explained that the historic venue was once seriously considered for the highly publicized Zuckerberg vs. Musk showdown.
“It’s impossible because I was negotiating the deal with Zuckerberg and Musk. That was real,” White said. “I was literally in my backyard for two weeks negotiating that matchup.”
According to White, both billionaires were interested in staging the event at the iconic Roman landmark. However, the financial requirements proved to be a major hurdle.
“And they wanted the Colosseum,” he said. “The Colosseum wanted something like $150 million to do it there, which that money would go into a fund that restores all the iconic places in Italy.”
White clarified that the massive sum was not a fee for the UFC, but rather a contribution toward preserving Italy’s historic sites.
“It would take Zuckerberg competing against Musk to happen because those two were going to put up the money for the Colosseum,” he added.
White’s comments made it clear that discussions had progressed well beyond the rumor stage, with venue costs and funding structures already being addressed.
When asked whether he would be interested in holding a UFC event at the Colosseum if someone covered the cost today, White didn’t hesitate.
“Anybody that wants to put up the money for UFC to compete in the Colosseum, I’m in,” he said.
