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It’s kind of hard to believe we once lived in a world where people routinely fought to the death for the entertainment of the masses, but that particular spectacle was one of the primary attractions at the Colosseum in Rome.
That historic venue was harnessed for a wide variety of purposes, as it was occasionally filled with water for recreations of famous sea battles in addition to other events where hunters were tasked with conquering a menagerie of exotic wild beasts including rhinos, crocodiles, and tigers.
However, the vast majority of people associate the Colosseum with the gladiator battles where emperors frequently decided the fate of combatants with their thumb before they fell out of favor in the fifth century.
Those showdowns may be a thing of the past, but it sounds like Italy is open to the idea of using the venue to host a modern version featuring two men who’ve recently made headlines over a proposed fight.
If you’ve been paying attention to the news over the past week or so, you’re probably aware Elon Musk thought it would be a good idea to challenge Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight before the Facebook founder (and somewhat accomplished jiu-jitsu fighter) quickly agreed to the offer after the gauntlet was thrown down.
While the majority of oddsmakers seem to think Musk is at a bit of a disadvantage (a sentiment shared by his mom as well as his own father), the two men seem pretty serious about making it happen, as Musk apparently started training this week and has a potential mentor in the form of MMA legend Georges St-Pierre.
At this point, there’s no way to know if the fight will actually end up happening.
With that said, according to TMZ, Musk and Zuckerberg apparently have the option to host it at an almost unrivaled venue, as the outlet reports Italy’s Minister of Culture reached out to the latter to invite him to face off against his foe inside the Colosseum if they decided to go through with things—an offer the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla seemingly confirmed.
Some chance fight happens in Colosseum
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2023
It’s worth noting the Ministry of Culture issued a statement disputing the claim after the original publication of this article but TMZ stands by its initial reporting.
We truly live in the strangest timeline.