“I Got Away From It… and I Lost”: When Shaquille O’Neal Admitted MMA Was a Secret Weapon for His 4 Championship Rings

It’s no secret that Shaquille O’Neal has a big soft spot for MMA and the UFC. The 15-time NBA All-Star was most recently seen in the front row at UFC 314, getting the perfect view of a stacked card.

Highlights from the night included Alexander Volkanovski’s win over Diego Lopes to become a two-time UFC Featherweight Champion. Elsewhere, Paddy Pimblett put Michael Chandler to the sword with a ground and pound to become a top-10 welterweight for the first time.

While O’Neal loves the aggression of the sport as a spectator, it seems that MMA provided major psychological and physical benefits for his glittering NBA career, too.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani for ESPN MMA in 2020, O’Neal revealed that he had trained with American fighter John Burke ahead of his three championship-winning seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. But problems arose when O’Neal slipped out of those trusted habits.

“I came back in the best shape of my life,” said O’Neal, recalling the pre-season ahead of his first title win in 2000. “So I’m a creature of habit. Did it again, won the second championship. Did it again, won the third championship. Got cute, got away from it, lost, got traded to Miami. Did it again, won the fourth championship.”

Following the NBA Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons in 2004, O’Neal came under fire from the Lakers’ assistant manager and general manager, contributing to O’Neal’s eventual trade to the Miami Heat. Having returned to his MMA training regime during his time with the Heat, O’Neal returned to success with a fourth title in 2006. Since then, MMA has remained a major passion of his.

“So you know, MMA is something that always kept my heart rate up. It was something that I was very interested in. I’m a physical guy, I like physicality. MMA athletes are probably the best athletes on the planet. I’ve been to almost all the top UFC fights. Those guys are specimens. I wish I could hit some of those NBA players I used to play against just like that.”

O’Neal: I would’ve fought Hongman Choi

Considering his love for the sport, it’s not surprising to hear that O’Neal did his best to get himself an MMA fight.

“I did call out Hongman Choi a long time ago because I’ve never fought anyone my size. Ever since 10-years-old, I’ve heard the phrase ‘Pick on somebody your own size.” At the time, if he was willing to fight, I would’ve fought him.”

Hongman Choi achieved minor success in both kickboxing and MMA, winning the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2005. He last fought in an MMA bout in 2016 at Road FC.

However, it is not so much Choi’s career that sticks long in the memory but his stature. The South Korean fighter stands at 7 foot 2 inches and weighs 350 pounds – both taller and heavier than the mammoth that O’Neal is.

When asked by Helwani how advanced the Choi fight discussions got, sadly, O’Neal didn’t have any positive news to share. “No, I just mentioned it. I wanted Dana to come back and set it up, but nobody ever did.”

It remains to be seen whether Choi would’ve accepted the challenge, especially one of such a novel and high-profile nature. Hearing the enthusiasm in O’Neal’s voice, and the disappointment of it not coming to fruition, odds are Shaq would still be game for the fight should a promoter ever revive the idea.