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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Nolan King

Video: UFC champ Zhang Weili punches Shaq, lifts him off ground

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal weighs an estimated 350 pounds these days. UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili fights at 115.

Despite the massive difference in height and weight, Weili threw physics to the wall as she returned to picking up super heavyweight-sized men off the ground (as she did with Francis Ngannou).

O’Neal was visibly thrown by Weili’s single-leg elevation. The four-time NBA champion’s legs dangled in the air as he went up and then back to earth. This all came after O’Neal let Weili punch him in the midsection. The punch wasn’t that hard, but still got a reaction from the big man.

I just love everything about this. First of all, I like to think this is some sort of initiation by Weili whenever she befriends someone who walks around above 280 pounds. Not feeling the earth or gravity is something that is probably about as foreign to O’Neal as anything.

There’s been a lot of talk about aliens and UFOs recently, but rest assured if they ever actually do show up here, all humankind will need to do is have Weili pick up Brock Lesnar, and they’ll be getting right back on that ship.

All kidding aside, Weili’s energy is awesome. Her way of connecting with others across language and cultural barriers is amazing and creates nothing but positivity. MMA can always use more of this, and it seems Weili is destined to give it to us for as long as she’s around.

Oh, and if you missed Weili picking up Ngannou before, here it is:

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