The ongoing rivalry between tech giants Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, reminiscent of an epic cage fight, has taken an unexpected turn on Turkish soil.
An official from the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) has thrown down the gauntlet, proposing the two business magnates face each other in the historic city of Aspendos.
Murat Toktaş, the vice president of TÜROFED and the chairperson of the Black Sea Tourism Operators Association, on Tuesday offered Meta CEO Zuckerberg and Musk, the owner of the X platform formerly known as Twitter, to stage their ring fight in the famed historic site in Türkiye’s Antalya.
"As tourism industry representatives, we think that the most suitable venue for this fight will be Aspendos, which is famous for its ancient beauty," Toktaş said.
Questions remain about whether or where the cage fight will take place as a digital duel rages on between the two.
Earlier this month Tesla boss Musk said his planned cage fight with billionaire rival Zuckerberg would be held at an "epic location" with an ancient Roman theme, as Italy indicated it was ready to stage the scrap.
Italy's Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said in a statement that he had spoken to Musk about hosting a "large charitable and historically evocative event."
Zuckerberg has claimed that Musk is not serious about holding a "cage fight."
In a post on Threads, a digital social media platform launched on July 5 as a competitor to X, Zuckerberg said he offered Musk "a real date" for the fight.
"I think we can all agree Elon isn't serious and it's time to move on. I offered a real date ... Elon won't confirm a date, then he says he needs surgery, and now asks for a practice round in my backyard instead," he said Sunday.
In response, Musk retorted on the X platform, calling Zuckerberg a "chicken."
Posting Tuesday on the same platform, Musk cited a "fight recap," stating: "I joked on X about fighting Zuck. Zuck then said, 'SEND ME LOCATION.' Italy graciously offered a Colosseum, but Zuck declined. I suggested his home as a 'safe space.' Tragically, he was ahem 'traveling.' Is there anywhere he will fight?"
