Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg Almost Brought UFC to Italy, Reveals Dana White’s Team

What if the UFC and Dana White had set up shop in one of the world’s most historic landmarks, the Colosseum in Rome? At one point, that wasn’t just fantasy. It was a real discussion behind closed doors, sparked by two billionaires who had the world hooked on their feud.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg almost made Italy the stage for one of the wildest fight spectacles ever imagined. The bout never materialized, but according to UFC executives, the groundwork laid during that period could still shape the promotion’s future in the country!

At the recent UFC Paris post-fight press conference, senior executive David Shaw addressed media questions about new European markets. According to Shaw, “Yeah, well, you know, we did a lot of work when there was all the talk about Zuckerberg fighting Elon Musk. And so there’s a lot of conversations. We reviewed a lot of venues. And a lot of the kind of due diligence and legwork was done then.”

While the UFC and Dana White have yet to finalize an Italian debut, Shaw made it clear at the post-fight presser, “So listen, when I mentioned I left a few off the list, Italy was definitely one of them.”

The billionaire cage match was one of the biggest what-ifs in combat sports history. In 2023, Elon Musk threw gasoline on the fire with online trash talk, while Mark Zuckerberg trained with UFC champions and teased his own fight readiness. Fans and media latched onto the idea, turning it into a global talking point.

By early 2025, Dana White confirmed how serious it really was. Speaking to Tucker Carlson, the UFC CEO had revealed, “[Musk vs. Zuckerberg] was real, I was in the middle of it and I had a blast doing the negotiations with that thing. Talking with Elon for an hour every night, and talking to Mark for an hour every night. . . . [Negotiations were] about the fight, where it would be, [weight classes].”

Most shocking of all, White claimed he was “literally doing conference calls with the government in Italy” to make the Colosseum in Rome the venue. As per the UFC head honcho, “For the right number, the Colosseum was gonna let us do that fight there. Eventually it started to fall apart, but while it lasted it was fun.”

The collapse left fans disappointed, but it also revealed just how far the UFC was willing to go to make history. With Paris now an annual stop and other European markets booming, Rome could be next in line. David Shaw’s comments suggest the research is already done, and the pieces may only need to be moved back into place.

Yet, while the Italian fans may have to wait to see if the Octagon lands in their country, the UFC and Dana White recently sent shockwaves through the combat sports world as new details have emerged about the historic White House card!

Dana White confirms White House card is “done” as South Lawn set to host the Octagon

What started as a half-joke is now shaping into one of the most audacious spectacles in UFC history. The long-rumored White House event has officially been greenlit, and the countdown has already begun. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the UFC is moving forward with its plan to host fights on the South Lawn next summer.

The original July 4, 2026, date has shifted, but Dana White himself confirmed the event is happening. Speaking on a recent Instagram Live from a private jet, the UFC boss revealed, “It’s going to be awesome. The White House fight is on. I will have more details on that in the next couple weeks. But we got it done today.”

The setting promises to be unlike anything the UFC has ever staged. The South Lawn will serve as the main stage, while the Lincoln Memorial will host both the ceremonial weigh-ins and the pre-fight press conference. The timing couldn’t be more strategic.

With the UFC’s new deal with CBS-Paramount kicking in next year, the promotion will have a broader platform than ever before. Unlike traditional pay-per-view events, this partnership could beam the White House fights into millions of households without the usual paywall, amplifying the UFC brand on an unprecedented scale.

As such, the Musk–Zuckerberg fight may have fizzled, but they left a blueprint for future expansion into Italy. Now, with the White House card officially in motion and a new broadcast deal set to supercharge its reach, the UFC and Dana White stand at the edge of a new era!