Fight CEO who trained with Zuck says Elon Musk's size and strength won't help him against such a skilled foe — if they ever fight
- ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong says Mark Zuckerberg is a "legit" fighter.
- There's a "wide disparity in skill level and fitness level" between Zuckerberg and Musk, he said.
A prominent martial-arts CEO says he's seen Mark Zuckerberg fight, and that Elon Musk should be really nervous about his chances in the ring.
Chatri Sityodtong, the boss of ONE Championship, told the South China Morning Post that he met Zuckerberg and trained with the Meta CEO in April at the latter's Palo Alto home.
ONE hosts fights across a range of martial-arts disciplines.
Chatri was "impressed" by Zuckerberg when they trained together, per the SCMP. His comments came as the chances of a real fight seemed to dwindle further, as Zuckerberg accused Musk of not being serious and suggested dropping the idea.
"For sure, Elon has the size and strength advantage in this fight. However, there is a wide disparity in skill level and fitness level," Chatri told the SCMP.
Chatri added that Zuckerberg's only trained for two years, but has progressed quickly because he fights "in a very serious, world-class training environment."
"Mark might be new, but he thinks about the fight game the right way, be it learning, training, or competing," Chatri told the SCMP.
"He is a legit blue belt in jiu-jitsu," Chatri said, adding that he has plans to train with Zuckerberg and his fighting team when he visits the US again.
Chatri also had some fighting words for Elon Musk. Musk, for his part, has spent the weekend goading Zuckerberg, comparing the differences in their physical sizes and calling the Meta CEO a chicken.
"The martial arts community is small. Consensus from folks who have trained with either or both men is that Mark is way ahead of Elon in terms of technical abilities, fitness, training regimen, etc.," Chatri told the SCMP.
Chatri said he would be willing for ONE Championship to host the fight night, but said his gut tells him that Musk is "bluffing" about wanting to duke it out with Zuckerberg.
"If he really wanted to fight Mark, he wouldn't be making up all these conditions, excuses, and stipulations," Chatri said. "Elon is doing bicep curls at the office while Mark is fighting people in his backyard cage."
Zuckerberg, for one, said on Sunday that it's clear to him that Musk "isn't serious" about a fight and that it's "time to move on." He added that he plans to "focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously" but is still game for a fight if Musk comes around and settles on a date.
And for all of Musk's flexing and tweeting, he hasn't committed to a solid date for the fight. On August 6, Musk tweeted that he needed to get his neck and upper back scanned in an MRI. He then tweeted on Friday that he now needs to get surgery for a shoulder injury.
Musk's representatives at Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.