“The actors, the greatest athletes in the world, world leaders aren’t watching the NBA game on Wednesday night. They are watching the fight on Saturday night,” said UFC CEO Dana White, taking a jab at the NBA while praising MMA. His statement, which aims to make a bold point, has also sparked controversy among fans, who criticized the UFC boss. Meanwhile, looking at the two sports, the NBA and MMA differ by nearly 102 years of history.

But does that really explain Dana White’s remark? Nothing confirms it. Still, UFC falls far behind leagues like the NBA and NFL in creating big-name stars. For example, people often compare Jon Jones’ status to LeBron James when highlighting his greatness. Even Joe Rogan seconded this notion, “Jon Jones is more like the LeBron James of MMA,” which might be sending a message that the NBA star is a much bigger and popular name in the world of sports. Recently, Rogan also revealed why top athletes like Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James would never compete inside the Octagon.

Joe Rogan shares why UFC has a shortage of “super athletes”

UFC does have some of the toughest athletes in the world. But according to UFC host and podcaster Joe Rogan the promotion lacks ‘super athletes.’ While speaking on the latest episode of the JRE podcast, Joe Rogan brought up this topic to actor Adam Ray. He kickstarted the conversation with a picture of 6’4″ former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou standing next to NBA legend, the 7’1″ Shaquille O’Neal. Considering the huge size of Shaq, Rogan is convinced that he can never participate inside the octagon. Not even for an exhibition fight.

Because of the265 pounds weight limit, Joe Rogan advocated for allowing fighters of any size to compete. He said, “I think it should be like 225 and up. That’s what I think. I also think there aren’t enough weight classes, but that’s a separate conversation. Shaq is way bigger than 265. He would probably have to cut 80 lbs to make the UFC’s weight limit.” Ray mentioned that Shaq weighed close to 300 pounds when he first entered the NBA. Rogan called him a “giant super athlete,” and added, “Giant super athletes, that’s the difference between the NBA, the NFL, and the UFC.”

Joe Rogan also shared why athletes like Shaq rarely end up in MMA. He said, “The UFC doesn’t get many guys like that, right? Most super athletes, when they’re kids, go into football, baseball, or basketball because that’s where the money is. There are way more opportunities in football than in the UFC.” Therefore, Rogan framed it as the bitter truth.

With that being said, it is to be noted that Shaq has tested his luck in combat sports. He has competed in a couple of matches in WWE and AEW.

Unlike MMA, sports like the NBA and NFL draw young athletes more easily through school and college programs, offering the allure of star careers and substantial earnings that attract both players and their parents. In contrast, Dana White and the UFC have earned a poor reputation when it comes to fighter pay. Jon Jones illustrates this trend; his brothers, Arthur and Chandler Jones, both played football and encouraged him to follow the same path. Many parents are hesitant to steer their children toward combat sports. Even Khabib Nurmagomedov chose gymnastics for his son instead of fighting.

Despite the criticism around MMA, Shaquille O’Neal credits it with helping shape his NBA career. The NBA legend still practices mixed martial arts to this day, and MMA is what led Joe Rogan to imagine what it would look like to see someone with Shaq’s size and athletic ability inside the Octagon.

Joe Rogan pictures Shaquille O’Neal stepping into MMA

“MMA is the reason I became a champion,” admitted four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal five years ago while speaking on the Ariel Helwani show. Now retired, O’Neal has also developed a passion for watching MMA. From time to time, the NBA legend can be seen around the arena, as it is impossible to miss a 7-foot-1 athlete in America. Decades ago, Shaq had the opportunity to face an opponent of comparable size.

He called out South Korean pro fighter Hong-Man Choi, who stands 7-foot-3 and weighs 353 pounds. Choi’s résumé includes fights against top-level opponents such as Fedor Emelianenko. Shaq had hoped that UFC CEO Dana White would make the matchup happen; however, that day never arrived. Despite this, Joe Rogan recently said on the same podcast episode, “I see him at the UFC all the time, too. Imagine that guy got into MMA, ’cause he’s a martial artist. He practices. There’s some good video of him working out, like kicking pads and punching mitts and [ __ ]. He’s got technique.”

So, what do you think would happen if Shaquille O’Neal stepped into the MMA cage? Could he hold his own against legends like Jon Jones or Francis Ngannou? Share your thoughts below.