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UFC Champion Julianna Pena Revisits Her Time With 7-Footer NBA Legend & Mega UFC Fan Shaquille O’Neal

Published 05/19/2022, 12:45 PM EDT

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Julianna Pena is on cloud nine since getting her biggest UFC victory against Amanda Nunes. ‘The Venezuelan Vixen’ became an instant celebrity and even appeared on ‘The Ellen Show.’ Likewise, recently, the UFC bantamweight champion visited a moment with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

The 32-year-old shared a few snaps with ‘Shaq’ on her social handle, Instagram. Pena captioned her post, “TBT with @shaq Diesel” 

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In the pictures, Pena and ‘Shaq‘ appear to be sitting near the Octagon side and enjoying fights.

Remarkably, there is a massive difference in their physique. ‘Shaq’ is nearly 300 lbs with a 2.16 m height (a 7-footer), whereas Pena is a UFC bantamweight, meaning she weighs as low as 135 lbs, and she stands at 1.68 m (5′ 6”).

via Reuters

Shaquille O’Neal and UFC personnel contrasting height incident

This wasn’t the first incident where the NBA giant saw himself standing next to a relatively shorter UFC person. Even though the UFC fighters are elite-level athletes and are in absolute shape, compared to ‘Shaq’, they find themselves rather human.

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Likewise, a video of UFC broadcaster Megan Olivi and ‘Shaq’ went viral for the contrasting difference in their build. Even here, the 7-footer was looking massive in front of the 5-foot-tall interviewer.

The NBA star’s favorite fighter, Nate Diaz, also looks tiny in front of him. Not only this, but when Nate Diaz’s rival Jorge Masvidal trained ‘Shaq’ on his signature flying knee, it terrified the fans to watch a man of ‘Shaq’s size practicing such a devastating move.

WATCH: Jorge Masvidal Teaches Shaquille O’Neal His Devastating Move to Knock Out People

Meanwhile, Pena is getting ready to compete against Amanda Nunes after TUF 30. This would be the rematch; In the first bout, Pena defeated the long-reigning champion in the second round with a Rear-Naked Choke at UFC 269.

Who will have the edge in the rematch – Amanda Nunes or Julianna Pena?

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Though Pena was screaming out her lungs about toppling ‘The Lioness‘, no one believed her. However, after the performance she put on against the former UFC dual champion, it’s tough to imagine Nunes getting her hand raised if not for a quick knockout.

Nunes looked phenomenal in the first round. But Pena stayed calm and executed what she and her team had planned. Subsequently, Sikjitsu standout became the women’s UFC bantamweight champion. And considering the confidence she gained after breaking the aura of invincibility around Nunes, she will be more confident in the rematch.

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What do you think of Julianna Pena’s post with Shaquille O’Neal?

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Written by:

Deepak Kumar

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Deepak Kumar is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. His love for MMA comes from the chaos and violence the fight game brings to the table. A BJJ aspirant, Deepak began following the sport as a casual fan when Ronda Rousey was finishing her opponents in seconds.
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Edited by:

Paras Pande