We all love a good crossover. Seeing personalities from different sports interact with each other is borderline wholesome. Witnessing the respect and banter with them is better than most reality shows. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has been involved in the world of MMA in various ways. Chiefly, he shares a great relationship with the UFC President, Dana White.
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From attending UFC fights and even holding a UFC press conference at his house, Shaq and Dana White have come a long way. A famous moment between them that Dana White tweeted years before is still discussed at times.
We’re here to take you down memory lane to when Dana White walked into Shaquille O’Neal in the lobby of a building and took a moment to make a great picture out of it. Posing in a way that White is choking out the NBA legend, this is what he captioned his tweet.
Walkin thru the lobby and literally caught a dude trying to steal my bag and I to choke his ass!! pic.twitter.com/7uEg7gkMnC
— danawhite (@danawhite) January 15, 2014
“Walkin thru the lobby and literally caught a dude trying to steal my bag and I to choke his ass!!” tweeted Dana White. The two of these individuals are great fans of each other’s work. Shaq is known to attend UFC fights regularly and is an enthusiast of the sport.
Shaquille O’Neal once hosted a UFC Press conference at his house
One of Shaq’s most significant involvements with the UFC was when he once hosted a press conference at his house. The UFC never did this before, yet it felt right seeing it there.
@SHAQ Thanks for letting us hold the @UFConFOX Orlando press conf at ur house Shaq. U are a good friend
— danawhite (@danawhite) April 16, 2014
Shaq was not present during the press conference as he was celebrating his son’s birthday, but was making sure to keep an eye out for his security cameras over the event.
The NBA legend stated that he was introduced to the sport by former UFC star Vitor Belfort. After watching him knockout opponents the way he did, Shaq became an instant fan of Belfort as well as the sport.
Shaq has since attended numerous UFC events. An avid lover of MMA for longer than a decade, the NBA legend began training in MMA in the year 2000 in his friend’s gym. Focusing on Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling, he stated that his intensity and dominance increased after he returned from MMA training.
Also Read: How Much of The UFC Does Dana White Own?
Shaq stated that training in MMA had an uplifting effect on his career, and there doesn’t seem to be a shred of a lie in that statement.
Written by
Edited by
Darryl Pinto