The hardest-hitting heavyweight in UFC history is so strong he lifted Shaquille O'Neal with ease

Alan DawsonApr 20, 2020, 16:01 IST

Shaq laughs as Ngannou lifts him off the ground.Twitter / Francis Ngannou

What happened when the hardest-hitting athlete in UFC history, Francis Ngannou, met one of the tallest and heaviest NBA players of all time in Shaquille O'Neal?
Well, Ngannou felt the natural thing to do would be to lift 7-foot-1-inch tall, 325-pound Shaq off the floor, then walk around with him like it was no big deal.
Ngannou marveled at how O'Neal felt like he had little to no body fat, and said it was no wonder he was able to glide across the court.
O'Neal, meanwhile, said it was the first time anybody had ever been able to pick him up.
Watch it all unfold below.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Read the original article on Insider

O'Neal even wanted the UFC president Dana White to hook him up with a UFC fight after he challenged a 7-foot-3-inch fighter from South Korea, Hong-man Choi, to a bout. "I wanted Dana to come back and set it up," he said. "But nobody ever did."

O'Neal even wanted the UFC president Dana White to hook him up with a UFC fight after he challenged a 7-foot-3-inch fighter from South Korea, Hong-man Choi, to a bout. "I wanted Dana to come back and set it up," he said. "But nobody ever did."

It is not O'Neal's first introduction to combat sports. Last week, he credited his success on the basketball court to MMA. He told ESPN that MMA is the reason he became an NBA champion in 2000, training extra-curricular wrestling drills. "I like physicality," O'Neal said. "MMA athletes are probably the best athletes on the planet."

It is not O'Neal's first introduction to combat sports. Last week, he credited his success on the basketball court to MMA. He told ESPN that MMA is the reason he became an NBA champion in 2000, training extra-curricular wrestling drills. "I like physicality," O'Neal said. "MMA athletes are probably the best athletes on the planet."

In his tweet of the lift, Ngannou said Shaq wasn't as heavy as he thought, which, he said, is probably why he could "fly on the court." O'Neal, meanwhile, was left stunned because nobody had ever been able to do that to him before.

In his tweet of the lift, Ngannou said Shaq wasn't as heavy as he thought, which, he said, is probably why he could "fly on the court." O'Neal, meanwhile, was left stunned because nobody had ever been able to do that to him before.

Ngannou has put that power and strength to good use in the UFC Octagon, as all 14 of his wins have involved a finish — either knockout (10) or submission (four). But recently he did something he may well have been put on this planet to do … be the first person to lift the hulking Shaquille O'Neal off of his feet, then walk around with him.

Ngannou is the hardest-hitting fighter in UFC history. He once told Insider that the source of his strength is from being forced to work in a mine as a child. He grew up in poverty in Batie, a small town in Cameroon, west Africa, and worked in a sand mine from the age of 10.

And this is Shaquille O'Neal, the former four-time NBA champ who is so big at 7-foot-1-inch tall and 325-pounds, that he can palm a basketball.

This is Francis Ngannou, a terrifyingly powerful and intimidating athlete who competes in the UFC's heavyweight division.

The 15 richest major sports club owners in the world, and how they made their fortunes

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

The hardest-hitting heavyweight in UFC history is so strong he lifted Shaquille O'Neal with ease

O'Neal even wanted the UFC president Dana White to hook him up with a UFC fight after he challenged a 7-foot-3-inch fighter from South Korea, Hong-man Choi, to a bout. "I wanted Dana to come back and set it up," he said. "But nobody ever did."

In his tweet of the lift, Ngannou said Shaq wasn't as heavy as he thought, which, he said, is probably why he could "fly on the court." O'Neal, meanwhile, was left stunned because nobody had ever been able to do that to him before.

Ngannou is the hardest-hitting fighter in UFC history. He once told Insider that the source of his strength is from being forced to work in a mine as a child. He grew up in poverty in Batie, a small town in Cameroon, west Africa, and worked in a sand mine from the age of 10.

And this is Shaquille O'Neal, the former four-time NBA champ who is so big at 7-foot-1-inch tall and 325-pounds, that he can palm a basketball.

This is Francis Ngannou, a terrifyingly powerful and intimidating athlete who competes in the UFC's heavyweight division.