Shaquille O’Neal has revealed that former UFC champion Vitor Belfort once knocked out a man to defend his honour.
The NBA legend, who began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing back in 2000, regularly attends UFC events and was an unlockable character in UFC Undisputed 2010.
O’Neal wasn’t familiar with the sport of MMA until he was accosted in the street by Belfort and convinced to watch his 12-second debut win over Jon Hess at SuperBrawl 2 in 1996.
“I’m walking down the street, and a motherf***er grabs me, and he’s strong as f***,” O’Neal said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast.
“I’m thinking, ‘Oh s*** it’s about to go down.’ And I turn around and we square up, and Vitor Belfort goes like this [raises hands] ‘No, no, no, man! I’m a fan of yours.’
“We didn’t have s*** to do. He beat some 7-foot dude in some overalls, and I had never seen a sport like that. So, I’ve been a fan ever since.”
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The two sports stars became unlikely friends and O’Neal was glad to have the UFC star around when a random stranger began talking smack to him at a bar.
Belfort brutally knocked out the unruly fan before fleeing the scene.
“He knocked somebody out for me one time,” O’Neal added.
“Dude was talking crazy, and Vitor just came out of nowhere, BING BING.
“I’m looking at the dude on the floor and I’m like, ‘Vitor, go.’ ‘No man! Duh duh duh.’ ‘Motherf***er get out of here! Go. I got it.’ Then the cops come.”
Belfort won the UFC light heavyweight title and became a legend during his 26-14 MMA career, which ended with a KO defeat to Lyoto Machida in 2018.
‘The Phenom’ transitioned to boxing a picked up a famous win over Evander Holyfield in 2021, but he hasn’t fought since outpointing Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza in 2023.
O’Neal flirted with the idea of transitioning to MMA before deciding to focus on his basketball career and business endeavours.
It was definitely the right decision as he is now worth around $400 million, which is double the amount the UFC’s biggest star, Conor McGregor, is believed to be worth.
News Summary:
- Shaquille O’Neal recalls the time UFC legend defended his honour by knocking out man ‘talking crazy’ at a bar
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