It is no surprise to find veteran NBA player Shaquille O’Neal constantly in the MMA news. The four-time world champion has been training in this sport for many years, and it helped him elevate his physical attributes. Moreover, O’Neal even loves the sport and can be always spotted cage side in massive paper views. A few years ago, a wholesome clip of his interaction at UFC 236 went viral, and now finally O’Neal offered his thoughts on the matter.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani for ESPN MMA, Shaq was quizzed about his interaction with Max Holloway‘s son, Rush Holloway. He stated that he could emphasize his emotions, as even his kids did not like to see him lose.

‘Shaq’ stated – “I have children of my own, and my kids used to be like that when I’d lose … so I just grabbed his son and said, ‘Hey, I’m Uncle Shaq. Your daddy is going to be all right. Don’t worry about it. When all this is over, you make sure you give your daddy a hug and tell him you love him.’ I was trying to be a great uncle at the time.”

UFC 236 served as Holloway’s only bout in the lightweight division as the ‘Blessed’ tried to capture yet another UFC gold. But sadly, he could not brute force his way through Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier, for the interim UFC lightweight title.

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Shaquille O’Neal even tried to compete in the octagon

Not just a long-time fan of the sport, but the legendary NBA player also used it as training. O’Neal spilled the beans about his career and how training in MMA each time helped him pick up the championship title. At one point in time, Shaq was even eager to step inside the cage and fight against a 7 ft giant much like himself.

Shaq stated that back in 2010; He was interested in picking up a fight against a formidable South Korean fighter in Hong-man Choi. He stated, “I wanted Dana to come back and set it up, but nobody ever did.”

This match-up could have proved to be an incredibly entertaining affair, resolving Shaq and even fans’ curiosity. How do you think he would have fared in UFC back in the day?

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