The potential showdown between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk in the MMA arena was a subject that fueled excitement and speculation. However, the buzz surrounding this epic clash seems to have faded away, leaving fans curious about the actual state of affairs.
Khai Wu is the MMA coach for Mark Zuckerberg, and joked that Zuckerberg vs Musk was enjoyable while it lasted. He now thinks the match is off.
Wu recently shed light on the situation during his visit to the PFL playoffs in New York. He joined the MMA promotion PFL earlier this year, and discussed the latest developments regarding the Zuckerberg vs Musk matchup.
Despite initial enthusiasm and back-and-forths between the two tech titans, it seems that the discussions have reached an impasse. While UFC’s Dana White continued to collaborate with Zuckerberg on a potential date, it became evident that Zuckerberg’s enthusiasm for the sport had led him to explore alternative opportunities beyond the proposed showdown with Musk.
In a candid interview at Madison Square Garden, Khai Wu expressed his opinion on Elon Musk’s lack of interest in pursuing the match. Wu emphasized that Musk’s age coupled with his history of health concerns and notable differences in combat skill experience, played a significant role in his apparent disinterest.
He said: “I don’t think Elon wants it and that’s all I can say. I wouldn’t be surprised [if Zuckerberg fights someone else], Mark is extremely competitive and extremely gifted in his athletic ventures, did a jiu-jitsu tournament and won it which was awesome.”
“So I wouldn’t be surprised, he trains really hard all the time and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to challenge himself. I Facebook requested him and we took it from there to the Instagram DMs and then we Threaded it up and now we’re good.”
Wu went on to say that Musk may not be healthy enough to compete against Zuckerberg. He said:Â “Elon just had his 52nd birthday and if you look at his history he hasn’t been the healthiest in terms of being in shape. Taking on a fight against someone like Mark? I’m not sure that’s good for your health. So realistically it was fun, but all that other stuff that came after it was just fluff.
“I think that’s why he didn’t want to take it because realistically it’s not good. The thing with fighting is no matter what you can’t buy it. You get in the cage with me I’m throwing that punch as hard as I can, there’s no real way like in a team sport where if you play basketball you can get carried.”
Wu underscored the unique nature of combat sports, highlighting the purity of the endeavor. Unlike team sports, where one can rely on teammates, combat sports demands an individual’s undivided commitment. He explained that the focus required in combat sport could serve as a distraction from their otherwise demanding lives.
He said: “Fighting is pure, that’s why these really successful guys that don’t need a fighting career want to do it. It challenges you and you cannot say no to sparring and you can’t go ‘ah I don’t feel like training let me get my PR person to go train for me,’ it’s a very pure thing and you need to be 100 per cent there. It’s probably a good distraction from their life and work.”
Contrary to the intense expectations surrounding the match, Khai Wu revealed that Zuckerberg’s response was not marked by high pressure. He explained that the preparation process involved training with individuals larger in stature, should the bout with Musk materialize.
Wu stated: “You know as much as I do because all I do is show up and train. If he says ‘we’re going to fight Elon’ then we’d get guys who are a bit bigger to train for. But it wasn’t like I got a call in the middle of the night from Mark like ‘hey Khai we’ve got a fight with Elon Musk’, it wasn’t really like that at all. But it was fun while it lasted.”
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