Could Georges Saint-Pierre help Elon Musk beat Mark Zuckerberg?

The supposed fight between billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk has been setting the online rumor mill ablaze over the last couple of weeks as speculation mounts as to when, where, how and even if, it all unfold. At the moment, it looks like it's actually going to happen!

In fact, even Rome's historic Colosseum was recently touted as a potential venue for the match, until the Italian Ministry of Culture weighed in to say that they would only grant permission for the attraction to be used if it was "a non-violent challenge." Sportskeeda reported

The proposed bout seemingly came about after Musk called out Zuckerburg on his Meta company's plans to launch the microblogging site Threads in direct competition to Twitter, which Musk now owns, tweeting he would be "up for a cage fight".

Even UFC president Dana White has gotten in the mix and is prepared to promote the fight via pay per view. "This is a fight between two of the most powerful/richest guys in the world," He wrote on Instagram expressing his excitement in the possible match up. "Who will win? Who has seen this before? NOBODY. It's also a crossover fight that literally EVERYONE will watch."

White recently claimed, according to sportskeeda, that there are several hurdles in the way of the matchup being confirmed. The UFC frontman cited the size difference between the two men and the possibility of a state commission denying permissions. Let's take a closer look at the would-be fighters.

On one side: Mark Zuckerberg. At 39, the Facebook boss is in great shape and trains every day. Cardio, wrestling, boxing… The entrepreneur seems ready for this highly anticipated MMA fight.

On the other, the challenger: Elon Musk, 51, boss of Twitter, the rival company. While the billionaire is perhaps not in fighting shape, he does have a history of practicing combat sports, specifically judo, karate and taekwondo. 

When comparing the two, it certainly looks like Zuckerberg will have the upper hand. However, the South African-Canadian-American has a huge advantage, he is being coached by a legend in the discipline –Georges Saint-Pierre.

In an exchange on Twitter, the fighter offered to Elon Musk to train him for the fight and the latter warmly accepted. 

In fact, it looks like the training has already commenced, with Saint-Pierre sharing an image on social media of himself, combat expert Lex Fridman, and martial arts instructor John Danahernd Musk following an apparent training session on Monday evening.

Image Credit: Instagram @georgesstpierre

Musk, for his part, gave an honest account of where he was at with his preparations on Twitter, saying in response to the image that "the obvious conclusion is that I need a *lot* more training."

Image credit: Twitter @Lexfridman

But with Saint-Pierre, widely considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA, on his side, Musk is setting himself up to be a competitive force. Let's take a look back on St-Pierre's career to date.  

Georges St-Pierre (GSP) was born on May 19, 1981 in Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada. From an early age, he was inspired by fight movies and began karate at the age of seven.

His passion for martial arts continued to grow and, one day, GSP hears about a sport that mixes all combat disciplines: MMA. wrestling, boxing, jiu-jitsu... It's all there!

GSP then began training in various forms of martial arts, including wrestling, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and muay-thai, with the goal of becoming a complete and unbeatable fighter in the cage.

In 2002, at the age of 21, Georges St-Pierre made his professional MMA debut. He started turning heads almost immediately with his compelling performances in the cage. Despite all the hype, he remains incredibly humble, putting him in stark contrast to a lot of people in the fight world. 

His technical fighting style, his speed, his strength and his intelligence opened the doors to the UFC. In November 2006, after a series of convincing victories, GSP won the UFC welterweight title after defeating Matt Hughes.

However, his reign did not last long: in his first fight to defend his title he surprisingly lost to Matt Serra. This loss was a turning point in his career.

He used this experience as an opportunity to focus on himself and came back stronger. He regained his title against Matt Serra in 2008.

From 2008 to 2013, he successfully defended his title nine times, becoming one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC. More than his domination, it is his respect and his humility that truly sets him apart. 

In 2013, after his victory against Johny Hendricks, Georges Saint-Pierre decided to retire temporarily to focus on his health and his personal life.

He returned in 2017 and became the new UFC middleweight champion. An impressive performance that will be the last of his career since he leaves his title vacant after announcing that he suffers from ulcerative colitis.

With GSP on his staff, there is no doubt that Elon Musk has a major asset with him. But will Mark Zuckerberg be looking for his own secret training weapon? Rumour has it Aussie UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski has thrown his hat in the ring to now train Zuckerberg. No doubt about it, things are heating up!