The latest interview of Shaquille O’Neal with Ariel Helwani has revealed his deep interest in MMA. “The Big Aristotle” detailed numerous incidents while he was present cageside.
Standing at 7-foot-1 and weighing 325 pounds, Shaq is the last person that you would miss if he is present near the Octagon. The four-time NBA champion is a regular site at UFC events.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Shaq narrated one of the rather emotional moments he had to be involved in. He was in attendance at UFC 241 when Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier last year. Cormier is one of Shaq’s favourite fighter on the UFC roster. Consequently, he went to console him following the defeat.
“I just hugged him and said, ‘Great job. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But you’re still the champ to me.’,” Shaq remembered about the incident. “There’s only one guy that is undefeated right now. Everyone else has taken a loss. Floyd Mayweather. Everyone else has lost.”
“So I just told him, ‘Champ, hang in there’. He fought a good fight. He’s also one of my favourite fighters. I just wanted to let him know that I’m proud of you.”
Cormier was knocked out by Miocic in the fourth round. It was a rematch from their original encounter that took place at UFC 226 in July 2018. While Cormier lost the second encounter, he came on top during the first one.
Shaquille O’Neal reveals what he told Max Holloway’s son
Cormier wasn’t the only fighter that Shaq engaged with after a fight. When Max Holloway fought Dustin Poirier, Max’s son, Rush, was present in the audience. Given the violent nature of the encounter, Rush was in tears after seeing the bloodied up face of his father.
Shaq was present just a few rows apart from Max’s son. The cameras caught the former NBA MVP consoling Max’s son. O’Neal told Ariel Helwani exactly what he said to the kid.
When Rush Holloway needed some encouragement at UFC 236, "Uncle Shaq" was there.@SHAQ reveals what he told Rush in that moment (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/FGzowPtR7t
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 15, 2020
“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.'”
The former Laker attributed his success on the court to MMA. He said that training in mixed martial was the reason that he won his first ring in 2000 with the Lakers. He added that MMA athletes are the best athletes on the planet.
The post Shaquille O’Neal Opens up on Emotional Encounter With Daniel Cormier appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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