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Shaun 'The Real Deal' O'Neill (born November 24, 1987) is a Scottish Semi-Professional mixed martial artist, fighting out of Team Battlefield in Glasgow. O'Neill is generally regarded as a Jui-Jitsu wizard by the Mixed martial arts world and has also displayed good striking, an aggresive clinch and a solid chin, in his previous fights. O'Neill shares this fighting style with the UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, a fighter whom O'Neill has stated, he would like to emulate. Other than Rua, O'Neill's idols include Randy Couture, Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva. O'Neill has used different entrance music for each of his fights. These include Voodoo People (pendulum Remix), Dragula by Rob Zombie & People=Shit by Slipknot. Aside from M.M.A, O'Neill is a fan of Football and in particular Celtic.
Early Life - The Birth Of A Champion[edit | edit source]
O'Neill was born in Paisley, Renfrwshire in Scotland and is 1 of 5 children. He attended St. Catherine's Primary School in Paisley and went on to Trinity High School in Renfrew in 1999. It was here that many of his peers and teachers realised they had a future champion in their midst. In French class, O'Neill was asked by his teacher to tell her in French, what his hobbies were. O'Neill replied by asking "Miss, how do you say submission wrestling in French ?" This was only the beginning.
W.S.A - The Wright Street Aggro[edit | edit source]
At the age of 20, O'Neill and 5 friends founded an Amateur Wrestling / Street Fighting Promotion Company based in Renfrewshire which hosted some legendary events around the world. One such event was named O'Neill vs Mars which took place in Playa Del Ingles, Gran Canaria and attracted a huge audience. The locals had never seen such an event take place and really enjoyed the spontanious brawl which occured. However this pre-determined form of fighting just wasn't real enough for O'Neill.
M.M.A VS Boxing[edit | edit source]
O'Neill joined a Boxing club at St. Mirren Leisure Complex in Paisley and spent 6 months developing his skills. It is believed that this short time in Boxing is why O'Neill has such exceptional striking to this day. Having always been a fan of Mixed martial arts and the UFC, O'Neill heard of a Mixed martial arts gym which had opened not far from home. Without a moment's hesitation, he signed up. Not long into training in Mixed martial arts, O'Neill realised that this was a superior and purer combat sport. This was not taken lightly by Boxer and Floyd Mayweather enthusiast Darren James. After a long period of debate, O'Neill issued a challenge to fight James in a Mixed martial arts match. This, however, was blocked until O'Neill's contract with Team Battlefield expires. A narrow escape for James.
Retirement From Football[edit | edit source]
After hearing of a serious injury sustained by a close friend at football, O'Neill said he believed someone was more likey to be injured playing Football than fighting in Mixed martial arts. He was quoted as saying "seriously man, f**k playing football" Many of his friends, family and fans took this as O'Neill's retirement from the beautiful game and expected him to fully concentrate on Mixed martial arts.
M.M.A[edit | edit source]
O'Neill's first fight was in May 2009 against Team Viper member and fellow Mixed martial arts debutant Scott Nugent. For this fight, O'Neill obtained the services of friend and strength and conditioning coach, Vinnie Tunstead. In the weeks building up to the fight, Tunstead would put O'Neill through his paces with early morning running sessions as well as speed, agility & Quickness drills in order to prepare him for the fight. O'Neill won the fight by Unanimous Decision, coming close with various submission attempts.
The Next fight was again at a Viper show, although this time against Barry Gilchrist from Team Urban Disturbance in Fife. O'Neill had a significant reach advantage but was unable to utilise it due to his opponents unwillingness to fight at semi-pro. O'Neill lost the fight by Unanimous Decision despite coming close with an armbar in the second round, a submission attempt which Gilchrist admitted he was close to tapping to. O'Neill later stated he didn't feel strong in the fight, hinting that the weight cut took its toll on him.
With the Gilchrist fight out the way, O'Neill could move to Semi-Pro. This was something which he had been relishing, after feeling restricted in his previous fights. He would travel to Alloa, Clackmannanshire to face Michael Quinn in the summer of 2010. O'Neill caught Quinn with a head kick, early in the fight followed by a right hook. O'Neill would then Pull Guard only to be covered in his opponents blood. After examining the cut, the referee and doctor decided to call a stop to the fight, making O'Neill the winner by T.K.O.
Mixed Martial Arts Record[edit | edit source]
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Time | Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win |  Michael Quinn |
T.K.O (Cuts) | Hostile Territory | 2010-06-19 | 1 2:15 | |
| Loss | Barry Gilchrist |
Decision (Unanimous) | Viper 25 | 2010-04-05 | 3 5:00 | |
| Win | Scott Nugent |
Decision (Unanimous) | Viper 17 | 2009-05-18 | 3 5:00 | Won Fight Of The Night Honours |