Shaquille O’Neal destroyed his opponents on a nightly basis with his dominance inside the painted area. He was a walking nightmare for his markers as no one could contain him. His size and strength were just too much for his contemporaries. Shaq’s presence just provided ample fear factor for opponents to build their strategies around him, which turned out to be ineffective most of the time.

Shaq’s dominance extends beyond the court as well, with several ventures on the side. He has made it to the top as a renowned NBA analyst on TNT and also has his own podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq’. Fair to say, O’Neal has found a way to stay connected to the sport that propelled him to this stage.

The big man has also shown a keen interest in a number of other sports. MMA is one of them. Shaq is a massive UFC fan and has often voiced his love and appreciation for the sport. Interestingly, he is a big fan of Nate Diaz and has previously expressed his admiration for the welterweight.

“I like Nate… because I like the way he fights. It’s the same with me. IDGAF, if you know what I mean. You are right. I like real people, you know… and you have to respect people like that,” Shaq said.

We can all agree that Shaq and Nate are quite similar. Shaq was a walking menace on the hardwood, ready to catch a body any given time. Nate Diaz is also well-known for his “destroy everything in his path” mentality since he never backs down from a fight.

The two recently caught up on a fight week in Vegas.

Shaquille O’Neal and Nate Diaz were scene partying together

As already stated, Shaquille O’Neal is an MMA fanatic and hence, he decided to attend UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, which is part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Shaq has attended a number of UFC events in the past and decided to put this event on his watchlist given the intriguing fight card.

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Interestingly, Nate Diaz was also in the building and it was only right that the two forces met. The Stockton native chronicled his week in Vegas in a vlog that he uploaded on his YouTube channel. In the video, Shaq and Nate can be seen partying together. They went on to share a hug and dap each other up.

The fighter posted this particular clip of him and O’Neal together on his Instagram page. Shaq also went on to share the video on his Instagram story.

The two share what may be the most compelling friendship in the sporting world.

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Both are legends of their sport who have competed against some of the greatest athletes. Their ascension to the top has been challenging, therefore their mutual respect is what stands out.