--- title: "Elon Musk Already Making Excuses Ahead of Fight With Zuckerberg" description: "X-formerly-known-as-Twitter CEO Elon Musk says he's committed to his fight against Mark Zuckerberg, but he sure sounds like he's already hedging his bets. Musk kicked off this saga after claiming, in an off hand Twitter reply, that he'd be \"up for a cage match\" with the Meta, er Facebook, CEO. Perhaps calling his bluff, or […]" date: "2023-08-07" modified: "2023-08-07" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-excuses-mark-zuckerberg-fight" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "mark zuckerberg" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Already Making Excuses Ahead of Fight With Zuckerberg ![Chesnot via Getty / Futurism]() ## Held Back X-formerly-known-as-Twitter CEO Elon Musk just doubled-down on his commitment to fight Mark Zuckerberg. In the same breath, of course, he's already hedging his bets. Recall: [This all started]() in June, after Musk claimed in an offhanded Twitter reply that he'd be "up for a cage match" with the Meta/Facebook CEO. Calling his bluff (or losing his cool), Zuckerberg responded in kind (or took the bait) with "Send Me Location," and the fight was on. Or it was supposed to be. After a month of radio silence on the fight, Musk [announced Sunday]() that the eventual fight would be livestreamed on his platform X — while casually tacking on quite a big excuse for why the "exact date is still in flux," which is: he may actually be in no condition to fight. "I'm getting an MRI of my neck & upper back tomorrow," he said in a [tweet](). "May require surgery before the fight can happen. Will know this week." ## Ghosting a Date Of course, back issues are no joke, and some of Musk's [fans have plead him to pull out]() in light of this, to which Musk only [had to say](): "Nobody lives forever." Meanwhile, Zuckerberg claims he's struggled to get Musk to commit to a date, even before these latest health developments. "I'm ready today," he wrote in a [Threads post]() that same day. "I suggested Aug 26 when he first challenged, but he hasn't confirmed. Not holding my breath." Zuckerberg, normally akin to the emotiveness of a plausible alien or pseudo-humanoid, has exhibited rare glimpses of genuine human emotion [in his excitement for the bout](). After all, he is [actually trained in Jiu Jitsu](). Adding to his cred in the ring, Zuck recently [sparred with some of the best]() fighters in the world: UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, and featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. ## Weigh In Meanwhile, in a less convincing show of force, Musk has brawled with podcaster (and noted Musk sycophant) Lex Fridman. Moreover, his idea of preparation — and a flex — [is curling dumbbells during office meetings](). Vertebrae problems notwithstanding, Musk sincerely thinks his sheer mass — 300 pounds, he recently [clarified]() — will help him prevail, having previously [bragged about his fight move]() 'The Walrus,' "where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing." "I am much bigger and there is a reason MMA has weight divisions," he [tweeted]() on Sunday. Hopefully Musk gets on with it, lest all this peacocking be for nothing. One CEO deeply polarizing, the other universally reviled, both with a strange penchant for rebranding their globally-recognized brands into something people despise. Together, a showdown for the ages. **More on Elon Musk:** *[Elon Musk Lifts Weight During Office Meeting For Reasons Unknown]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()