NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has said on numerous occasions that he would like to fight 7-foot-2 Korean fighter Hong Man Choi in an MMA match when his basketball career ends. The four-time champion even appears to be somewhat serious about this challenge, as videos of him training MMA have popped up on the Internet as of late.When FanHouse contacted Choi, who is scheduled to face Ikuhisa Minowa in the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament semifinals on Tuesday in Japan, about fighting O'Neal at some point in the future, he simply responded via e-mail, "Yes, if there is a chance."
Something tells me there's a chance.
It's safe to say that the good folks at Fighting and Entertainment Group, DREAM's parent company, would love nothing more than to book this fight. Just look at what they've done with Choi recently: in May 2007, they matched him up with former baseball player Jose Canseco and "Techno Goliath" will outweigh Minowa by 126 pounds when they meet in Tuesday's semifinal bout. In some ways, a fight against O'Neal would be the most logical MMA fight Choi has ever been a part of.
Asked whether he believed O'Neal had a chance against him, Choi, who was a man of few words in our interview, responded, "No."
Choi is 2-2 in his MMA career. Other than his one-sided victory over Canseco, his only other MMA win was a 16-second first round knockout of Bobby Ologun, a Japanese TV personality, in December 2006. His two losses have come against Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop.
In June 2008, he had a brain tumor removed, which many believed would end his fighting career. However, Choi said his health continues to improve.
"My condition is about 80% right now, but it is getting better," Choi said. "Although my condition is not perfect, I will do my best for each fights."
The 28-year-old added that he plans on splitting the rest of his career between K-1 and MMA, but it's unlikely that anyone will ever take him as a serious MMA fighter. That's why he needs fights against the likes of "The Big Aristotle" to keep his career going. And now that we know both men are into the idea (what a surprise, I know), it could be only a matter of time before the freakiest of freak shows bouts takes place at the Saitama Super Arena.
In case you missed it, below is a video of O'Neal challenging Choi to an MMA fight:
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
LOL! Awesome. That would be a HUGE NYE event.
no way
This seems like a really bad move
lol maybe theyll release the sequel to SHAQ-FU!!!!
This big jig is not whipping anybodys ass he would fold up like a cheap suit if he gets in the octagon the big black chump.
I love me some Shaq like its nobody's business....but I really hope he waits until he is retired before doing this!
Robert Parish had a roster spot, didn`t play much, when he was 44. Maybe if Shaq keeps competing until then, he`ll grow out of the notion. Unless a fight is rigged, which, of course, they never are, it is totally different from regular athletics. Shaq might be able to out compete this decade younger man in nuetral sports, much less basketball, but martial arts are ferocious, not just athletic. In real fights against a competent fighter, someone who is merely a competent athlete would be very badly mauled. My dad boxed in the navy. Shaq wouldn`t believe the intensity and focus required in the ring. He`d soon feel like he was in slow motion and a real fighter was in fast motion. He would fail to block blows, the fighter wouldn`t, and Shaq wouldn`t be able to believe how hard real fighters hit. In the nba, Shaq has grappled a little, playfully, and slapped a little. But real fighters punch like they are punching someone behind you, and striking thru you to get at them. Even actors, one time a guy offered to trade punches with John Wayne, but he hit the Duke directly, then Duke had to punch him threw a closed door. Duke took his little puch, the door was closed, but Duke still punched him out.
good jordan kobe LeBron Garnett Shaquille O'Neal http://www.ieshoes.com
SHaq DADDY is gonna murk the piss out of that Asian Lab creation