International Fight Week got bigger and better thanks to one pioneer’s last minute move. Vitor Belfort’s lightning fast reflexes kicked in when he was called up to the UFC Hall of Fame. He wanted a very special friend to induct him on the biggest night of his career. Only fitting that the larger than life combat sports maniac Shaquille O’Neal did the honors. He did it in cinematic fashion too.
UFC’s biggest week on the calendar in Las Vegas was perfectly timed with O’Neal’s regular visit to the city. Shaq has multiple projects in Sin City – Big Chicken, a $16 million youth facility, Fantasy Labs – that bring him to these parts regularly. Belfort added an extra touch to his latest visit with a request.
Outside the T-Mobile Arena, Shaquille O’Neal caught up with New Zealand media where his fictional ‘wife’ is from. When asked about how he ended up at UFC’s Hall of Fame night, he revealed, “Well, I was personally asked by Vitor. He called me at 3:00 a.m. and asked me to induct him into the Hall of Fame. Happened to be in town, so I was like, ‘Sure.’” Don’t we all need that 3am favor friend like Shaq in our lives?
O’Neal is building a youth recreation and athletic complex in east Las Vegas for the Boys & Girls Club. The 30,000 sq.ft. facility’s projected cost is an estimated $24 million. He was at the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday afternoon. But on Thursday, it was all about Belfort.
“He was the one that introduced me to the sport. We’ve been friends for that period of time, I want to say over 30 years. I’ve watched his kids grow up, watched him fight, been through a lot of his fights. I trained with him once or twice, but he’s a great man,” Shaq said.
After the late request, Shaq suited up and arrived to induct Belfort into the Pioneer Wing. He wasn’t unprepared either. Their friendship goes way back and they have a few stories to share.
Vitor Belfort always reached out to Shaquille O’Neal
On this stage, Shaquille O’Neal revealed their friendship almost started with a street fight. Then a newly-minted Laker, Shaquille O’Neal was visiting Hawaii. Belfort dabbed him up and Shaq, seeing his physique, squared up for a fight. But the UFC legend instead revealed himself as a fan.
30 years later, Belfort’s sentiments haven’t changed. With Hall-of-Famer attached to his name now, he said that he had been a fan of the 2016 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame long before they met. He confirmed that Shaq was first phonecall after finding out he was going to be a HoFer. It meant a lot that the NBA analyst/DJ/invester/restauranteur/part-time car buyer carved out time for him. “Thinking about that, Shaq came only for that. So, I cannot thank him enough. He came literally just for that. I cannot thank him enough.”
Reminiscent of how he revealed himself as a fan at their first meeting, Belfort claimed, “He was the guy that I look up to because I always had a vision. I was a visionary. I saw the sport could have become this. So, I saw Shaq as the guy, as we need people like Shaq.
And he even sent a message out to his buddy. “The way he carried himself, just to take time off his busy agenda… I cannot thank you enough, Shaq. You mean so much to me. You mean so much even for the UFC, what he did for us, help us get to the mainstream. So, it was priceless.”
O’Neal now confirmed that he and Belfort train together. He’s dubbed himself the ‘Gorilla Nightmare’ too. If that nickname’s going to stick, we’re going to have to see more of the Diesel-Phenom brotherhood.
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