Does Elon Musk Know Martial Arts? (Can He Fight?)

Photo by Heisenberg Media

Are you wondering whether Elon Musk knows martial arts and if he can fight?

In this article, we’ll look at whether Elon Musk knows martial arts, whether Elon Musk can fight, and answer some related questions.

Does Elon Musk Know Martial Arts?

Yes, Elon Musk knows martial arts. As a kid, he trained in judo, kyokushin karate, and taekwondo, and more recently he trained briefly in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in Palo Alto.

Elon Musk revealed his martial arts background during his second appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience (Episode 1470), in May 2020.

On the same podcast, Musk also revealed he’s sent his kids to Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes since they were 6 years old, so he’s still involved in martial arts this way.

Elon Musk is also known to have competed against a world-champion sumo wrestler for fun at a birthday party in New York. 

The sumo wrestler weighed 350 lbs and Musk managed to lift him off the ground and throw him to win the first round, but he eventually lost and injured his c5-c6 disc – causing him 7 years of back pain.

Does Elon Musk Know How to Fight?

With most of Elon Musk’s martial arts training happening 4 decades ago and his recent Brazilian jiu-jitsu training only being brief, it’s safe to assume Elon Musk doesn’t know how to fight anywhere near a professional level.

However, the case for Elon Musk knowing how to fight in a street fight and outside of competitive-based martial arts is strong for the following reasons.

Firstly, challenging Vladimir Putin to single combat is indicative of a person who knows how to fight; seeing as Putin is a judo black belt and sambo practitioner.

Elon Musk has also challenged Johnny Depp to a cage fight when responding to his affair rumors with Amber Heard in 2020, so he has a lot of confidence.

Secondly, Elon Musk knows how to fight at an above-average level due to his prior martial arts experience, especially because of his more recent Bjj training.

As Elon Musk is so intelligent, it’s highly likely he remembers a lot of the martial arts training he learned as a kid. Certain instinctive fighting techniques will have remained with him and he’d unconsciously use them in a self-defense situation.

Also, in a street fight rules don’t exist and Elon Musk is 6 ft 2 inches tall and quite a heavy and large man. At his biggest, Elon Musk has weighed around 220 lbs, but after recently dropping as much as 30 lbs in late 2022, he now likely weighs around 190/195 lbs.

While being heavy is good for street fighting, being light means he gained a lot of speed and cardiovascular endurance

Lastly, Elon Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa, one of the most dangerous cities in an already dangerous country. 

On the ‘FULL SEND PODCAST’ on Youtube, Elon Musk revealed he’d been in many hardcore street fights in South Africa growing up, where he was almost beaten to death in one and badly beaten in a couple of others.

And while this doesn’t suggest he’s a good fighter, it means he’s experienced fighting on several occasions and has improved as a fighter because of it, as he knows what to do in a fight.

Elon Musk’s fighting experience against a sumo wrestler would’ve also boosted his confidence and fighting ability.

Overall, although Elon Musk is joking when he calls out various celebrities, he clearly has some confidence in his martial arts and fighting ability.

In terms of a professional fight, Elon Musk likely wouldn’t do so well, but in terms of street fighting, Elon Musk is more than equipped to handle himself.

Elon Musk Martial Arts: Related Questions

Here are some related questions to Elon Musk’s Martial Arts.

Is Elon Musk a Black Belt?

No, Elon Musk isn’t a black belt in any martial art. Having trained in judo, kyokushin karate, and taekwondo as a kid, Elon Musk never continued his training into adulthood as he became extremely busy with university and his career as a programmer, engineer, and businessman.

Does Elon Musk Know Karate?

Elon Musk knows kyokushin karate, as he trained in it as a kid. He revealed this information on the Joe Rogan Experience, episode 1470.

However, it’s hard to say Elon Musk knows kyokushin karate today, as he hasn’t trained in it for around 4 decades. He may remember some of what he learned, but he would be an amateur if he attended any classes in 2023.

Elon Musk vs Putin: Who Would Win?

Elon Musk would destroy Vladamir Putin in a regulated sport-based martial art competition or a street fight for four main reasons.

1. Elon Musk has former martial arts experience

2. Elon Musk is 50 years old while Vladamir Putin is 69 years old.

3. Elon Musk is 6’2” tall and weighs around 190 lbs at his lightest, whereas Vladamir Putin is 5’6” tall and weighs around 160 lbs. These weight and height advantages would see Elon Musk comfortably win by overpowering Putin.

4. Elon Musk has street fight experience.

Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Who Would Win a Cage Fight?

Elon Musk likes to mess around online with his Walrus joke, but he would win a fight against Mark Zuckerberg in a cage match (mixed martial arts) for the 5 following reasons.

1. Elon Musk has former martial arts and street fight experience. So while he jokes a lot, he becomes very serious and competitive the same way he is with business.

2. Elon Musk is 6’2” tall and weighs around 190 lbs at his lightest, whereas Mark Zuckerberg is 5’7” tall and weighs around 155 lbs. For them to even fight, it’d be an openweight vale tudo fight, meaning they can weigh in at any weight.

This means Elon Musk would likely put on more weight in preparation for the fight than Mark Zuckerberg could due to being the naturally much bigger man, and he would overpower Mark Zuckerberg.

3. While Mark Zuckerberg is fond of combat sports, famously ‘hiring out’ the UFC Apex and learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu for 11 months since September 2022, this isn’t much experience in the realm of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and as talented as he may be, it wouldn’t be enough to overcome the extra height, weight, and power Elon Musk has over him.

4. While Mark Zuckerberg is exceptionally intelligent, his success at recent white belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments may inflate his ego in terms of his ability as a fighter, making him underestimate the fighting ability of Elon Musk and ultimately lose.

5. While Elon Musk has admitted to not being in the best shape, he would have plenty of time to train and get in great shape for a fight against Mark Zuckerberg if the fight was ever signed, where he could work on improving his fight skills and speed.

His main focus would be wrestling, which he’d use in tandem with his much heavier and larger frame to take down Mark Zuckerberg at will and win the fight via ground-and-pound, submission, or decision.

At the end of the day, the only cage fight they could have would be an underground vale tudo match because MMA in America is governed by the Official Unified Rules of MMA, which rules MMA matches must be competed in by two fighters of the same weight class, which Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are not.

The Bottom Line

So, ‘does Elon Musk know martial arts?’

Yes, Elon Musk knows martial arts. As a kid, he trained in judo, kyokushin karate, and taekwondo, and more recently he trained briefly in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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