Get ready for the Fisticuffs in Florence or the Venom in Venice. Just not the Rumble in Rome.
Elon Musk has reached out to Italy leader Georgia Meloni to secure an “epic location” for his “cage match” with tech rival Mark Zuckerberg — but a government official has ruled out the Eternal City as a venue.
“I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister of Culture,” Musk tweeted on Friday.
“Livestream will be on this platform and Meta. Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all.”
Musk also posted a cryptic tweet hours later with a potential date for the clash between the tech titans.
“Gaius Julius Caesar, March 15,” he posted on his rebranded Twitter site X, a reference to the infamous Ides of March when the emperor was killed.
However, the much-rumored “Gladiator”-style showdown at the ancient Colosseum or the any other historic site in Rome will not be in the cards.
Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said, “It will not be held in Rome.”
“I had a long and friendly phone conversation with Elon Musk,” he told The Guardian. “We talked about the common passion for the history of ancient Rome. We are discussing how to organize a great charity and, historical evocation event, in full respect of the sites.”
The Post has sought comment from the ministry.
After Musk tweeted earlier this month that he would be “up for a cage fight” with Zuckerberg, the Facebook co-founder shot back by posting a screenshot of Musk’s tweet with the caption “send me location.”
Zuckerberg’s team reportedly passed on the message to Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White, whose people contacted Italian officials, according to TMZ Sports.
However, the outlet later reported that sources with direct knowledge confirmed that the ministry first reached out to Zuckerberg privately, then the request was forwarded to White, and there was a follow-up and a call was set for next week.
In response, Musk tweeted that there was “some change [the] fight happens in Colosseum,” which Sangiuliano has since quashed.
Despite the setback, Musk still seems to have his eyes on Italy, firing out a series of tweets in Italian, including one that says “dulce est desipere in loco,” which translates to “it is sweet to be lost in the place.”
Representatives for Musk and Zuckerberg did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Though both tech moguls have been training with Lex Fridman — artificial intelligence researcher at MIT who hosts the “Lex Fridman Podcast” and also has a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu — Zuckerberg undoubtedly has more experience in the sport.
While Musk has a significant size advantage compared to his tech rival, he may still have his work cut out for him against Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg, 39, has been training in MMA gyms since September with the hopes of competing, he revealed on June 17. In a May, Zuckerberg revealed via an Instagram post that he won his first amateur Brazilian jujitsu tournament.
Musk, 52, also recently revealed that he has a shoulder problem that may require surgery with a recovery period of “a few months.”
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