UFC President Dana White and Shaquille O’Neal are good friends. They revealed their friendship and spoke on varied topics in an interview with ESPN MMA. Shaquille also briefly spoke about Francis Ngannou.
In the press conference, Shaq discussed his meeting with Francis. He describes how Ngannou was busy in the gym when the pair met. “This guy picked me up with ease,” he said.” “I was like, damn, I feel like a kid again,” he added.
Surprisingly, Shaq claims that he had no knowledge of who Francis was at that time. Hence, he went home and found out all about the hardships and struggles Francis faced. He also reveals that this instance made him want to watch his fight against Stipe Miocic.
Francis Ngannou of Cameroon punches Junior Dos Santos of Brazil in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event. (Credit: Getty Images)
Francis became the new heavyweight champ last month. Subsequently, he beat the previous champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. Francis claimed the victory by knocking out Miocic in the second round.
Since then, there have been speculations regarding his next opponent. For the longest time, Jon Jones seemed like the most logical option. However, the UFC has also been suggestive of Derrick Lewis.
Naturally, the champion has no shortage of contenders. Even middleweight Jan Blachowicz and Boxer Tyson Fury have expressed their desire to fight the Cameroonian.
What’s So Different about Francis Ngannou?
After wearing the crown, Francis has garnered love and support from all corners of the world. People are slowly getting to know of his struggles from a young age. Being from a poor country, Francis would regularly attempt to cross the border in order to escape.
Francis Ngannou of Cameroon punches Alistair Overeem of The Netherlands in their heavyweight bout during the UFC 218. (Credits: Getty Images)
However, he wasn’t always successful and got caught on multiple occasions. Luckily, he was able to somehow escape to France and begin his journey towards becoming a UFC Champion. Eventually, Francis was able to accomplish this mammoth feat.
As a result, people have a lot of admiration and respect for him. ‘The Predator ‘ is also one of the most genuine and humble people. Hence, it is no surprise that even celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal are so fond of him.
