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7-Foot Giant Shaquille O’Neal Caught Stealing a Bag & Choked in the Lobby by UFC President Dana White in 2014

Published 04/18/2022, 1:18 AM EDT

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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. 

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. 

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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!!” 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 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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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Written by:

Rohit Raj

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Rohit Raj is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. As a Business student, Rohit’s love for the UFC was double-sided with the business of it being just as intriguing as the martial arts aspect of it. “Don't just fight, perform” is a quote that he believes drives the most entertaining fights of the UFC, with the likes of Conor McGregor, Chael Sonnen, and Israel Adesanya sweeping him off his feet with their skill as well as swagger and trash talk capabilities.
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Edited by:

Darryl Pinto