How “The Biggest Cheat in the History of Combat Sports” Introduced Shaquille O’Neal to UFC

Published 04/03/2022, 10:49 AM EDT

Shaquille O’Neal is one of basketball’s all-time greats. The 7-foot giant displayed extreme physical prowess and game sense when it came to the sport of basketball. To be honest, his body was versatile enough to suit other sports and disciplines as well. Based on his build and physical conditioning, Shaq could’ve been one of the best bodybuilders or a great MMA fighter.

Nevertheless, Shaq has been around the sport of MMA by following UFC for quite some time now. Having a lot of friends within the industry, Shaquille O’Neal became an integral part of UFC talk when he once held a UFC press conference at his house.

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In an interview with renowned UFC journalist Megan Olivi, Shaq revealed that he once held a UFC press conference at his place and was looking at all of them through the security cameras. He also talked about the individual introducing him to the world of MMA and UFC, who was and still is bad-mouthed by a former UFC champion for a different reason.

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Michael Bisping, Vitor Belfort, and Shaquille O’Neal: One man’s hero is another man’s villain

“I was introduced to the sport in Hawaii by Vitor Belfort before UFC was really, really big. He came up to me and said, ‘Won’t you watch me fight this guy?’ I was like, ‘Are you a boxer?’ He’s like, ‘No. I’m a fighter. He beat the crap out of this guy in 15 seconds, and I been a fan ever since.‘” Stated Shaq.

Although this is what the NBA legend thinks of Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping had to say something else. Talking about fighting Belfort during his use of banned substance in the UFC, Bisping stated, “I ended up paying the ultimate price because I ended up losing an eyeball because of the head kick that he hit me with.”

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He concluded by saying, “Granted, a legal technique but the force, I don’t think it would have been the same had he not been taking all that testosterone.”

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Bisping reveals the dirtiest fighters in the UFC in his opinion and Vitor Belfort surely made the list.

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Written by:

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.

How “The Biggest Cheat in the History of Combat Sports” Introduced Shaquille O’Neal to UFC

Michael Bisping, Vitor Belfort, and Shaquille O’Neal: One man’s hero is another man’s villain

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