It was a big week for UFC. Ahead of UFC 317, Vitor Belfort was inducted into the Pioneer Wing of the Hall of Fame. And it was Shaquille O’Neal who was there to welcome him. But there was a looming shadow on the world of combat sports on this night. It stemmed from the unconventional announcement from the equally unconventional Jon Jones. What-ifs from that moment are only growing, though Shaq seems to understand and empathise with Jones’ decision.

The moment that shook UFC fans came at a postfight news conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday. Dana White announced Jon Jones’ retirement when people least expected it. Fast forward about a week, and Shaquille O’Neal is in Las Vegas, about to induct Vitor Belfort into the Hall of Fame. Outside the T-Mobile Arena, Shaq was asked how he felt about Jon Jones retiring. A diehard combat sports fan himself, Shaq had feelings. Feelings that he conveyed directly to Jones, as he just revealed.

“I’m happy for him. I actually texted him and told him thank you.” This is a very meaningful gesture to Shaq personally. He learned from his best friend, Charles Barkley, to always thank the people who matter. Still regretting not having open communication with Kobe Bryant, O’Neal has constantly thanked retiring athletes on TNT or personally.

And Jones is his favorite fighter of all time. He had to reach out. “You know, Dana White said he’s the best. He is the baddest man on the planet.” While Shaq’s admiration and gratitude for Jon Jones are palpable, there’s also the elephant in the octagon. The big man couldn’t go without addressing that either.

Shaquille O’Neal shut down Jones vs Aspinall speculation

While at the UFC event, O’Neal said, “I know it’s a lot of questions about the guy that wants to fight him.” The guy Shaquille O’Neal is referring to is probably Tom Aspinall, the interim champion who was raised to that position with Jon Jones’ retirement. However, this also means Aspinall’s heavyweight title unification dream just poofed into smoke.

Aspinall had some feelings about it he’s conveyed since. He gave Jones his flowers, even confirmed that he saw it coming. However, he didn’t expect Jones to retire before their much-anticipated bout could materialize. And Shaq gave a very amusing response to that.

“But you know, sometime when you don’t have the passion and just want to do something else, you know it’s time to let it go.” The Big Diesel retired in 2011, after four championships and 19 seasons. So you know he’s speaking from experience.

His last season with the Celtics, though, was a farewell tour with a lot of buildup to his retirement. We had a whole season to prepare ourselves not to see one of the last and greatest big men on the court. O’Neal admits that immediately after retirement, he was a little lost till he signed with TNT. He’s now about to join the Inside Guys on ESPN, has a DJ career, is a multi-faceted entrepreneur, and is working on his fourth degree.

With all that, there was never speculation if Shaq would come out of retirement in the previous decade. But fans anticipated that Jon Jones would put off retirement a little longer. However, Shaq shut that down very quickly, too. He was asked if he would like to see the match between Jones and Aspinall. “No, he has nothing to prove,” was Shaq’s blunt answer.

Are you able to accept it, or are you hoping Shaq is wrong?