At first it seemed like a joke, but it could actually happen. Elon Musk could fight Mark Zuckerberg in an MMA-style “cage” in a “cage” and it would be a clash of tech heavyweights. How did it get here?

It all started a few days ago, when there were rumors that Meta is working on a social network that will compete with Twitter. The network will be thought out for text publications and this can be called Threads.

Musk mocked Zuckerberg several times after learning about Meta’s plans. Apparently, Musk was furious when he learned that one of Meta’s most important executives had said that they wanted to create a “sane version of Twitter.” The hint was clear in the chaotic style of Musk, who made many changes at Twitter and ordered the dismissal of several thousand employees.

Mark Zuckerberg recently said in an interview: “I always thought that there should be a billion users on Twitter”, the irony here is also obvious, because the network has about 300 million users.

In various exchanges, one user jokingly told Elon Musk on Twitter that he should not contact the Facebook boss because Zuckerberg is good at jiu-jitsu. Musk responded to that commenter, “I’m up for a cage fight if he is,” the first mention of a cage fight.

Zuckerberg responded by posting a screenshot of Musk’s “tweet” with the “signature” “send me your location.”

It would seem that it was a joke, but The Verge then wrote, citing sources, that Zuckerberg really wants to host such a real match, so the “ball” is in Musk’s “court”.

After The Verge published an article titled “Zuckerberg ready to fight Elon Musk in a cage match,” Musk also responded to Zuckerberg’s post by saying “send me the location.” Zuckerberg wrote: “The Vegas Octagon.”

The Octagon is an indoor arena that hosts the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and the UFC is based in Las Vegas. The huge “cage” in the ring is called the “Octagon” because it has eight sides (it is octagonal).

Jokes, bets, and endless debates erupted online about who would win the Zuckerberg vs. Musk matchup.

Musk, 51, grew up in South Africa and said he got into street fights as a child, but he also recently wrote that he only gets exercise when he grabs his kids and tosses them in the air.” Musk is much taller than Zuckerberg: his height is 186 cm against 171 cm.

Zuckerberg is 39 years old, he is fond of jiu-jitsu and has won several tournaments. He is apparently into mixed martial arts (MMA) and has been training for some time.

Sources: The Verge, BBC, CNBC, Yahoo News