NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal at his ‘Shaq’s Fun House’ event in Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, revealed the name of his favorite MMA fighter.

‘Shaq’ is a four-time NBA champion and has played the sport for over 19 years. The 7ft 1 inch professional basketball player is commonly regarded as one of the greatest basketball centers of all time. At a Super Bowl party in his signature location, ‘Shaq’ revealed what he thinks of the Stockton-native Nate Diaz.

“I love Nate… because I love his fighting style. It’s similar to mine. IDGAF, if you know what I mean. He’s just real. I like people that are real, you know… and you gotta respect people like that,” O’Neal told ES NEWS.

Diaz is a UFC welterweight, widely regarded for his brute fighting style. Nate Diaz is the younger brother of UFC legend. Nick Diaz (25-13), and followed in his footsteps into the UFC to make a name for himself. Diaz has gone to war against the best the UFC has to offer, such as Conor McGregor, Rory MacDonald, Donald Cerrone, and Jorge Masvidal. And won some of the most notable bouts in the sport’s history.

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This is not the first time ‘Shaq’ has showcased his love for MMA and MMA fighters. The ‘Big Fella’ can be seen in attendance in prominent MMA fights all around the globe.

Does Shaquille O’Neal do MMA?

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the biggest MMA fans in the sports community. ‘Shaq’ has even attributed his success in basketball to MMA. He once disclosed this in an interview with ESPN and revealed that it was because of him practicing MMA that he became a four-time champion. Further, he went on to say that MMA athletes are the best.

“MMA is the reason I became a champion… I always used to practice basketball. It wasn’t enough. Because when I played basketball, it was more wrestling. So when I trained MMA with Jon Burke, a friend of mine down in Orlando, I came back in the best shape of my life. That was in 2000. Won. Dominated.” (h/t ESPN) ‘Shaq’ told Ariel Helwani.

“I like physicality… MMA athletes are probably the best athletes on the planet,” O’Neal continued.

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