During a Friday ESPN interview, UFC president Dana White revealed that he recently spoke to O'Neal, who voiced a desire to help the promotion as it continues its worldwide expansion. 

"Shaq loves it," White said on ESPN's First Take program. "Shaq's been training for a long time, and actually a week before he retired, Shaq called me and said he wanted to be involved in the UFC somehow. He's always been a good friend to us, and I'm sure you're going to see Shaq around the UFC a lot."

"He's dead serious," White said. "He said, 'Listen, I'm going to have a lot of free time on my hands. I love this sport. I want to be involved. I want to be a part of it.'