Tech billionaire Elon Musk is in danger of canceling his much-anticipated cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg. The founder of Tesla Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. will receive an MRI of his neck and upper back on Monday and may need surgery. The world’s richest person said he would know this week whether he will need the operation, which could include strengthening the titanium plate holding his C5/C6 vertebrae together.
The 52-year-old’s health is of intense interest to people worldwide. He has recently endured excruciating back pain from a match with a sumo wrestler in which he won, despite being beaten by the larger opponent.
In a post on his X platform, formerly known as Twitter, Musk said that an MRI of his neck and back showed he might need surgery. He also indicated that the precise date of his clash with Zuckerberg will be determined by the outcome of a health checkup scheduled for Monday.
The entrepreneur is renowned for his fitness and has even boasted of lifting 45-pound weights in the run-up to his 1v1 with Zuckerberg. The pair’s rivalry escalated this summer when Facebook parent Meta released Threads, a social network that competes directly with X.
In recent weeks, Zuckerberg has been critical of X and its troubled financial performance and leadership issues. He accused the company of “blowing it” in an Aug. 6 post on his Threads and suggested replacing it as the go-to conversation app with a more reliable platform.
While some had hoped that the tech titans’ highly-anticipated cage fight would occur this month, it looks unlikely now. In his reply to Zuckerberg’s post on X, Musk said that the exact date of the fight would depend on the outcome of the upcoming health checkup, adding that the X owner might need surgery.
It will also be determined whether he needs to strengthen the titanium plate holding his C5/C6 vertebrae together, a crucial spine segment that supports and protects the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. If the surgery is required, it must be completed before he can resume activities involving physical exertion. Nevertheless, the renowned entrepreneur still hopes that he will be able to take part in the long-awaited showdown with his rival. The billionaires had agreed to the cage fight through a series of social media posts earlier this year. The online community has been abuzz with speculations and anticipation over the spectacle.
